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CEO of Leeward Islands Air Transport (Liat), David Evans has come in for some heavy criticism from Prime Mnister of Antigua and Barbuda Gaston Browne. In  an interview with local media Browne effectively called for the resignation of the CEO of the region’s main carrier. The Antiguan leader made the call in light of the reported plans by LIAT management to dissolve the regional airline.

Browne told local media “I certainly will be calling in Mr Evans very shortly to discuss with him exactly where that plan emanated from,” Browne said.

“He needs to tell me, as the prime minister of this country and the prime minister of a shareholding government where that plan emanated from, and if it is that he hatched that plan on his own, you can be assured that as prime minister of this country, that as a shareholder of Liat, that I will be asking for his resignation.”

Browne accused the decades old financial woes of LIAT at the feet of its directors, who he believes should step down as well.

“We accept that there are legacy issues and that they should be fixed,” Browne said.

“…The current board of directors, including Mr Evans, undertook to fix those legacy issues. So, if it is that they can’t handle the job, then they ought to resign,” Browne said.

Browne called for the board of directors to give an account of their stewardship whom he blamed for tripling the losses of the carrier.

Antigua based Observer News Media  obtained a copy of the  proposal which detailed the dissolution of Liat and the creation of a new airline company based in Barbados. Barbados would reportedly return all its shares in Liat in exchange for five of the company’s ATRs to start the new airline, tentatively called Newco.