LIAT losses in the millions

(Barbados Nation) LIAT is expecting losses from Sunday night’s fire in Antigua to run into millions of dollars with its hangar, a plane, two office buildings and important documents destroyed, and plans for summer flights jeopardized.

But flights operated normally yesterday as management strategized to keep services on track and police, fire officials and the Eastern Caribbean Civil Aviation Authority (ECCAA) continued investigations into the cause of the blaze.

Chairman Jean Holder said the fire, which began around 10:15 p.m. Sunday and was brought under control yesterday morning, presented a “major challenge” for the Antigua-based regional airline.

In addition to destroying the Dash 8-300 plane, the fire also ruined a few engines, spare parts and tools and affected quality assurance and technical records.