Approximately 25 passengers from Nigeria are still expected to arrive in Antigua and Barbuda following a last-minute change to the inaugural Air Peace flight from Lagos, according to Antigua.news. The government decided the flight would bypass Antigua and land in Barbados instead, with onward travel to the twin-island nation facilitated by LIAT.
Prime Minister Gaston Browne said the diversion was made out of caution as authorities respond to concerns surrounding Ebola outbreaks reported in parts of Africa. Under the revised arrangement, the Air Peace aircraft will fly directly to Barbados, where passengers destined for Antigua and Barbuda will be transferred to a LIAT connection.
"We got to have some of them here. At least 25, even though they're landing in Barbados, about 25 of them will come here," Browne said during his weekend radio programme.
The Prime Minister explained that the government chose not to allow the aircraft to land directly in Antigua on its inaugural trip in order to reduce any potential public health risk while still maintaining the broader Africa-Caribbean travel initiative. Passengers travelling onward to Antigua and Barbuda are expected to undergo health screening either before departure from Barbados or upon arrival in Antigua, as part of enhanced surveillance measures now being implemented at ports of entry.
Browne also announced that the country's Infectious Disease Centre has been reactivated as part of the government's preparedness plan. "If any of them were to take ill while they're here, we can easily isolate them and of course do the necessary contact tracing," he said.
The Prime Minister stressed that Antigua and Barbuda remains committed to strengthening direct ties between Africa and the Caribbean, noting the country's long-standing support for establishing an air bridge between the two regions. He acknowledged, however, the need to proceed carefully.
"Normally we're very entrepreneurial," Browne said. "But if we were to push the envelope and anything happens, now they're going to say, 'Hey, this is deliberate.'"
His remarks also reflect lingering sensitivity surrounding the Antigua Airways migrant controversy of 2022 and 2023, when hundreds of African nationals arrived in Antigua and Barbuda under a separate air bridge initiative that later triggered political backlash and regional concern.
Officials say the current approach is aimed at balancing regional connectivity ambitions with public health protection and stricter precautionary measures.
