Tourism and Aviation Minister Charles Fernandez has revealed that LIAT 2020 currently employs 95 people in Antigua and Barbuda, with the majority being local nationals. Speaking in Parliament on Monday, Fernandez said the carrier is expected to double its local workforce by the end of the year as additional aircraft are brought into service.

According to the minister, the staff complement includes 80 Antiguans, five Dominicans, two Britons, two Trinidadians, two Vincentians, and one each from Ethiopia, St. Maarten, Montserrat, and Grenada. He noted that the engineering department is fully staffed by Antiguans, with 12 nationals currently employed in that unit.

Fernandez also disclosed that six Antiguan pilots are in training to operate LIAT’s new jets, with four nearing completion. “So we will have all Antiguan pilots or OECS pilots or Caribbean pilots flying the jets,” he said, adding that only Antiguans are currently being trained.

He said regional employment under LIAT 2020 stands at approximately 300 people and emphasized the potential for additional jobs as more aircraft are added. “When these extra aircraft are added, more pilots and so on will be employed,” Fernandez said.

The minister reiterated the importance of having a homegrown carrier in establishing Antigua and Barbuda as a regional air transport hub. “If we want to say our airport is a hub, we must have our local homegrown carrier,” he said. “That’s what really makes an airport a hub.”

In a brief update on tourism figures, Fernandez also announced that March 2025 set a new record for air arrivals, surpassing the previous high set in March 2024. He said the first quarter of 2025 is 7.5% above the same period in 2019, which remains the country’s best-performing tourism year to date.