Unions hint more LIAT protest

Unions representing workers at the regional airline, LIAT, have warned that they are prepared to join pilots in industrial action, if Captain Michael Blackburn is not reinstated.



Blackburn, who is also chairman of the Leeward Islands Airline Pilots Association, was dismissed with immediate effect on Monday.



Hundreds of passengers across the region were left stranded yesterday, as the airline’s 110 scheduled flights were either disrupted or cancelled as pilots called in sick.



Chairman of the unions within the LIAT system, Chester Humphrey, claims that Blackburn was dismissed under questionable grounds.



Last month, media reports said that Blackburn was being investigated by local aviation authorities for a recent safety violation at the George F. Charles Airport in St. Lucia.