Safety of our passengers and crew continues to be our highest priority – LIAT

LIAT, the Caribbean Airline, says following the crash of the ATR 72-600 aircraft operated by TransAsia Airways on February 4, it has received different queries.{{more}}

“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 5000 flights per day,” the release from LIAT, dated February 6, said. 

“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.”

The release also said it was with regret that LIAT received the news of the accident. The LIAT board of directors, management and staff expressed deepest sympathy to the families, friends and all those who were affected by the accident.