ST JOHN’S, Antigua – It is with regret that the Management and Staff of LIAT, the Caribbean Airline, received the news of Wednesday’s accident involving an ATR 72-600 aircraft operated by TransAsia Airways.
The LIAT Board of Directors, Management and Staff wish to express deepest sympathy to the families, friends and all those who were affected by the accident.
As one of the operators of the Avions de Transport Regional (ATR) aircraft in the Caribbean, LIAT has received queries from different quarters about the ATR aircraft in the aftermath of the accident.
In addition to the operators in the Caribbean, many airlines around the world operate ATR aircraft with a combined total of more than 5 000 flights per day.
For 58 years, the safety of our passengers and crew has always been paramount in our plans and this continues to be our highest priority.
The European Aviation Safety Authority (EASA) is the multi-national safety and airworthiness oversight body and the regulator of the manufacturer, ATR. Both parties, having safety as their paramount concern, will assess the need for any directives to be issued for the world-wide fleet, if necessary. To date, EASA has not issued any such directive.
LIAT and its own regulator the Eastern Caribbean Civil Aviation Authority (ECCAA) are guided by any such directive and LIAT would ensure our immediate compliance in the event of any directive being issued. (PR)
