ST. JOHN'S, Antigua -- Negotiations between Caribbean Star Airlines Ltd. and LIAT Ltd. to create a combined carrier are continuing apace according to Skip Barnette, president and CEO of Caribbean Star and its sister carrier Caribbean Sun Airlines.
"We couldn't be more pleased at the pace and professionalism of the current planning and negotiations period," said Barnette this week. "It's clear that on both sides everyone understands the urgent mission that we all share, which is to safeguard the future of air travel within the Caribbean.”
The CEO insists the current state of aviation in the region is weak with two unprofitable carriers remaining alive only by the cash outlay of its shareholders. And he said Caribbean Star's operations cannot continue to be subsidized by our single shareholder when there is little hope for improvement in its capacity to earn profits in the current environment.Mark Darby, LIAT's CEO, echoed Barnette's statements. "The progress we've made over the past month has certainly placed the region's long-term prospects for viable air service on stronger footing. Before we started these talks, LIAT and Caribbean Star were operating within an overly competitive framework that jeopardized the future of both carriers.
“Everyone understands that LIAT cannot continue to be a taxpayer burden. Our teams are focused on building a self-sustainable, world-class airline that all the people of the Caribbean can be proud of, and that will support the development of the region far into the future.”
Both officials also stressed that they consider union organizations as partners, and they recognize and respect every employee's rights to seek union representation.
No date was given for a consensus on the merger.
