LIAT pilots stage crippling pay protest

By Michelle Nurse On Jun 8, 2017

At the end of day one of a crippling pilots’ strike, there’s no word of a settlement to the pay impasse between management of the Antigua-based carrier and the Leeward Islands Airline Pilots Association (LIALPA).

This means that regional passengers – including those travelling in and out of Barbados – who are booked on LIAT flights this week, must brace themselves for the possibility of more disruption, after hundreds were caught off guard today by flight delays and cancellations.

The two parties to the current impasse held talks at the carrier’s Antigua headquarters today with the airline virtually grounded and pilots refusing to fly the ATR 72 aircraft until an agreement was reached on their previously publicized pay concerns.

The ATR 72 aircraft, which seats 48 passengers, was acquired by LIAT back in 2013 as a part of fleet modernization and overall network improvements.