The Competitions and Consumers Affairs Commission (CCAC) is calling on customers affected by the situation at regional airline LIAT, to file written complaints to the recently appointed LIAT Administration, Cleveland Seaforth, by August 15.
The claims can be sent to “Cnr. Factory Road & Carnival Gardens. P.O Box 3109, St. John’s, Antigua”; can be emailed to administrator.liat@bdoecc.com; or sent by facsimile to 268-462-8808; while consumers who wish to contact Seaforth directly may call, +1-268-462-8868/9.
Seaforth had last week announced a call for “any person having a claim against the Company whether liquidated, unliquidated, future or contingent is required to present particulars of their claim in writing not later than August 15, 2020”.
Guyanese, and other nationals all across the Caribbean, are eager to know the way forward for the company, which is currently over US$100 million dollars in debt, including US$11 million of which is owed to customers, who booked tickets with the airline. However, the company had been operating insolvent for a number of years and was overbearingly hard hit by the airport closures that were brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The CCAC in a statement issued last Wednesday, noted that it had received a number of reports from Guyanese who have been affected by the cash strapped airline, and has since compiled the reports and forward same to Seaforth.
Given the deadline, the CCAC advised that persons who have not yet filed reports with the Commission to file the reports directly to Seaforth.
“In the interest of time, the Commission advises consumers who were affected and have not yet filed a complaint with the CCAC to urgently submit their claims with accompanying supportive documents to the LIAT Administrator on or before the deadline. Soft copies will be accepted,” the CCAC statement informed.
Headquartered in Antigua, the airline was largely owned by governments of Antigua, Barbados, St Vincent and Dominica, however Barbados and St Vincent have since transferred their shares to the Antigua government, following their non-support of a plan to re-organise the airline.
Through their Prime Ministers Mia Mottley and Ralph Gonsalves, Barbados and St Vincent, respectively, had backed a liquidation recommendation by the airline’s Board of Directors in June.
However, Antiguan Prime Minister Gaston Browne was resolute in his call for the airline to continue, and the Antiguan government subsequently amended that country’s Companies Act to recognise re-organisation as a superior option to liquidation.
The changes to the Companies Act allowed for the appointment of an Administrator, who would be the sole representative of the LIAT estate. Seaforth was last month appointed as that Administrator by the courts in Antigua.
Browne said that if the company is liquidated, debtors would end up with even less. In July, Browne released an “A Plan for the Re-organisation of LIAT” which called calls for the injection of US$40 million, and said the airline could be back in the skies in 60 – 90 days.
