ST
GEORGE’S, February 10 2012 - The Ministry of Tourism and Civil
Aviation is working with other Government departments, particularly the
Attorney General’s Chambers and the Ministry of Finance, to arrive at a
solution to the current financial difficulties being experienced by the Grenada
Airports Authority.
This situation arose as result of the EXIM
Bank of Taiwan obtaining judgment against the Government of Grenada for
outstanding loans in a Suit filed in the United States. The
Taiwanese has made a claim for all monies owing to the Government of Grenada
and its agencies to be paid against the loan. Consequently, a request was
made to airlines operating on the Grenada route to pay monies owed to the
Grenada Airports Authority to the Taiwanese.
An Escrow account has been established and
carriers such as Virgin Airlines, British Airways and Delta Airlines have begun
to deposit monies owed to the Airports Authority into the said account. This
has placed the Airports Authority in a very precarious financial position.
“Mr. Rodney George, Chairman of the Grenada
Airports Authority, has alerted us in the government about the situation facing
our airport. I
am doing all that I can from a civil aviation point of view. The
Ministry of Finance is doing its part from the debt-financing angle and the
Attorney General’s Chambers is working towards a
legal solution”; said Minister of Tourism and Civil Aviation, Hon. Peter David,
who is currently attending an OECS Civil Aviation and Tourism Ministers’
Meeting in St. Vincent.
The Ministry of Tourism and Civil Aviation
will continue to work with
other Government departments to ensure this matter is resolved quickly and
does not severely disrupt airport operations, which would directly impact our
economy at a time when we can least afford it.
Betty-Ann Lazarus
Ministry of Tourism and Civil Aviation
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