Regional airline LIAT is expecting losses close to EC$10 million as a result of the two hurricanes which affected some of its key destinations in Eastern Caribbean countries.
LIAT Chief Executive Officer Julie Reifer-Jones said that Hurricane Irma will have a negative impact on LIAT through to the end of the year.
She noted that regional travel is very dependent on the state of the economies of the region and events like these always have a negative impact on the countries affected and growth prospects for the region as a whole.
Reifer-Jones told a press conference; “this affects the demand for regional travel. This is one of the complexities facing a regional airline like LIAT. Two years ago it was Dominica and this year is was Dominica again.”
She said based on previous experience in the region, it will take some time before there is recovery in St Maarten and Tortola, adding that these are key destinations in the LIAT network.
The CEO said LIAT’s commercial team will be carefully reexamining the airline’s schedule to determine whether there are opportunities that can be explored to assist in minimizing the negative impact on revenues.
