LIAT successfully flies cricketers

ST. JOHN’S, Antigua – Regional airline LIAT is reporting a well managed and superbly executed airlift programme for the teams and officials involved in the just concluded ICC World T20 West Indies 2010 Cricket Tournament. LIAT was contracted to move the teams and officials during the three-week competition.   A company official said the airlift called for more than 150 extra flights to move teams and officials to and from various match venues including Barbados, Guyana, St Lucia and St Kitts. “In addition to the movement of the teams and officials, the programme, which covered the period April 25 to May 17, also called for the use of an aircraft, in a combi-configuration, in order to move the [extra] amount of bags and cricketing gear,”  Director of Schedules and Special Projects Lesroy Browne said. “We were able to move all of the teams and their cricketing gear in line with the plan.”  Browne explained that the final week of the programme, concentrated between Barbados and St Lucia, from May 8 to 16 was intense.  He said LIAT also added extra flights for the spectators. “On May 15, for example, our St Lucia station handled 23 flights, 13 more than the average 10 flights per day and the passenger uplift was more than four times their daily average,” Browne said. The LIAT official said the influx of passengers into the region for the tournament was expected to impact positively on the company’s operations. (PR)