Chekira Lockhart Hypolyte, president of the Eastern Caribbean Telecommunications Authority, called on the region’s governments to analyze the issue of interconnectivity, regretting that St. Vincent and the Grenadines was unable to send its representative to a ministerial meeting.
He considered it vital to find a solution to the issue because there is a significant reduction of flights and this affects both the movement of passengers and high-level meetings.
The Minister of Finance of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Camilo Gonsalves, expressed himself in similar terms, stressing that his country is experiencing difficulties because the number of passengers transported each week by air has dropped from 3,500 to 1,000.
The connectivity problems worsened this week after the Caribbean LIAT terminated its form of administration (1974) Ltd. and ceased commercial operations due to financial issues.
More than 90 employees went home without determining when the company will complete their payments, as it claims it is not in a position to make their due remuneration.
However, Antigua and Barbuda’s Prime Minister Gaston Browne recently mentioned efforts to finalize an agreement with Nigeria’s Air Peace and make way for the new LIAT 2020 Ltd. format.
Such management will require nearly $30 million to maintain services in the region safely, reliably and efficiently.
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