On May 4th, Dr. Jean Holder, Chair- man of LIAT, led a delegation of representatives from the Caribbean airline’s Board of Directors, local airport and government on a visit aboard an EMBRAER 190 that stopped in Bridgetown, Barbados on a delivery flight to a customer in the USA.

The stop was the first of a two-day static and flying display of the E190 after it left the factory in São José dos Campos on its way to New York. The 45-minute, mid-morning flight circled the island before returning to Bridgetown airport. Many of the 85 passengers on board circulated throughout the cabin to speak with Embraer representatives and Jet Blue crew members who high- lighted features of the aircraft.

After the flight, Dr. Holder said “in this era of competition, LIAT is not standing still but seeking ways of offering a better product to the people of the region. We have found the flight to be quite comfortable, now our technical people will analyze the how, when and what as it pertains to the expansion of our fleet and network.”

LIAT is one of many airlines that are evaluating the suitability of Embraer E-Jets for their future fleet plans. The E190 is no stranger to the Caribbean. Since 2004, Air Caraïbes of Guadeloupe has operated a single E190 from the airline’s base in Fort de France.

From Bridgetown, the E190 ferried to Antigua where a demonstration flight was scheduled to introduce the aircraft to another group of LIAT employees and local airport officials. The Brazilian ambassador to Antigua, Mr. Brian Neele, was among the 50 passengers who experienced their first flight on an Embraer E-Jet. Following the flight, the ambassador hosted a dinner at the Brazilian Embassy.