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Antigua & Barbuda have suspended Antigua Airways’ chartered flights from West Africa as the carrier has not fully complied with regulatory requirements, according to a decision by the country’s Cabinet on January 26, 2023.
“The rules governing the member countries of the Eastern Caribbean Civil Aviation Authority (ECCAA) are very strict; Antigua Airways had not complied fully with all of them. The organisers have pledged to fix all the deficiencies before resuming their service across the Atlantic from the Motherland,” the Cabinet said in a statement.
The virtual carrier made its inaugural flight on November 1, 2022, from Lagos, Nigeria to Antigua and Barbuda with a B767-300(ER), CS-TSU (msn 33048), chartered from Portugal’s euroAtlantic Airways (YU, Lisbon). The aircraft then returned to Lisbon, Portugal, before returning to Antigua on November 6 to take passengers back to Lagos. The chartered aircraft flew under “Antigua Airways operated by euroAtlantic Airways” titles.
According to euroAtlantic Airways, its B767-300ER was chartered for the specific flight only to mark Independence Day in Antigua, but discussions were ongoing between the parties for future cooperation.
ch-aviation has asked Antigua Airways and euroAtlantic to comment.
Antigua Airways is a private-public partnership between Nigerian online travel agency Wakanow, African aviation services provider Aerostatus, and Nigerian printing and publishing firm Marvelous Mike Press Limited. The Antigua & Barbuda government owns 20% by supporting the airline through the Eastern Caribbean Commonwealth state’s Citizenship by Investment Programme (CIP), which provides citizenship to foreign investors who significantly contribute to the island’s socio-economic development.