LILIA

Leeward Islands Air Transport

Antigua and Barbuda · LIAT · Active

Ceased Operations

Liquidated after COVID-19 losses; the LI/LIA-coded carrier flew its last service on 24 January 2024. A differently-coded successor entity (5L/GAO, branded Liat Air) resumed limited flying later that year but is a separate operation.

LIIATA Code
LIAICAO Code
—Numeric
LIATCallsign
Antigua and BarbudaCountry
1In Dataset
ActiveStatus

Airline Identity

Full NameLeeward Islands Air Transport
Alias—
IATA CodeLI
ICAO CodeLIA
Numeric Code—
CallsignLIAT
CountryAntigua and Barbuda
StatusActive
Founded1956
HeadquartersSt. John's, Antigua and Barbuda

History

LIAT was founded in Montserrat in 1956 as Leeward Islands Air Transport and grew into the main scheduled inter-island carrier of the Eastern Caribbean, coming under joint ownership of several Caribbean governments after parent Court Line's 1974 collapse. It absorbed rival Caribbean Star Airlines in 2007 to consolidate regional service.

Current Operations

This original LI/LIA-coded carrier no longer flies: COVID-19 losses forced it into liquidation in 2020, and it operated its final flight on 24 January 2024 after 68 years. A separate successor company (branded Liat Air) launched limited turboprop service to some former destinations later in 2024 under a different IATA code (5L).

ANU · HubBGI · Hub

Last verified 2026-09-03· Source: airline public disclosures, company press releases & aviation-industry reporting.

Country of Registration

CountryAntigua and Barbuda (AG) ↗
Airlines in country1
Profiled airports0
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Serves These Profiled Airports1

SJULuis Munoz Marin International AirportPuerto Rico→