LIAT 2020 struggles with low passenger numbers after Barbados relaunch, plans service boost

LIAT 2020's Chief Commercial Officer, Tosan Bani, expressed optimism about increasing services in Barbados despite lower-than-expected passenger numbers.

10th of June 2025

Antigua’s LIAT 2020 has reported lower than expected passenger numbers since the relaunch of its routes in Barbados in August 2024. The airline had its operational launch last year as a successor to LIAT (1974) Limited.

The airline’s Chief Commercial Officer (CCO), Tosan Bani, released a statement and unveiled future plans to increase visibility and boost passenger numbers in the upcoming months. “So far, it hasn’t picked up as much as we thought it was going to, because Barbados is one of our strategic locations within the Caribbean and we are looking at increasing service there,” stated Bani with optimism.

He further added that at present, they operate flights to Barbados five times a week as they are trying to create a stronger connection in the market between Grenada and Barbados, and St Vincent and Barbados, as a lot of people visit Barbados for their US visa.

Also, Bani stated, “The numbers are picking up but where we want it to be, we are not there yet because what we are expecting to see from the Barbados market is about 70 to 80 percent load factor, but at the moment we are just moving around 25 and 30 percent. We are trying to close that 60 percent gap between what we projected and what we are currently seeing.”

LIAT 2020 and its future vision

LIAT 2020 was started as a joint venture between Air Peace Caribbean Limited – owned 70 per cent by Nigerian airline Air Peace – and the government of Antigua and Barbuda. It has invested almost US$65 million in the airline, with Antigua and Barbuda contributing US$20 million.

Since its launch, LIAT 2020 is offering its services to 13 Caribbean countries, including Jamaica, Guyana, Trinidad and Tobago, Barbados and St Vincent and the Grenadines.

The airline aims to introduce new routes across the Caribbean, Central and South America, as well as into Europe, North America, the UK, and Africa in the coming years. Moreover, the airline is exploring new markets, including Panama, with talks under way to introduce flights there.