ANTIGUA | Antigua Expands Aviation Footprint With Rwandan Alliance

ST. JOHN’S, Antigua and Barbuda- May 20-2025 - In an effort to forge deeper ties with the African continent, Antigua and Barbuda's Parliament today ratified a long-awaited Air Services Agreement with Rwanda, potentially opening new horizons for the Caribbean nation's aviation sector—though shadows of previous failed ventures loom large over the proceedings.

The bilateral agreement, originally signed in Rwanda on June 23, 2022, finally received parliamentary approval as Tourism Minister Charles Fernandez championed its potential to revolutionize the country's aviation landscape. 

"This reflects the government's interest in broadening its relationship with Africa, particularly with Rwanda where discussions are ongoing for its national carrier, Rwanda Air Limited, for next year," Fernandez told lawmakers, highlighting prospects for training, job creation, and enhanced trade links.

Opposition Leader Jamale Pringle struck a more cautious tone, welcoming strengthened ties with what he pointedly referred to as "the motherland" while expressing concerns that history might repeat itself.

"I am hoping that the same scenario does not repeat itself with the Antigua Airways fiasco," Pringle warned, referencing a controversial previous aviation venture that ended in disgrace.

Prime Minister Gaston Browne, clearly stung by the reference, mounted a defensive rebuttal, insisting his administration remained ignorant of any "nefarious actions happening behind the scenes" with Antigua Airways. 

In a telling moment of political theater, Browne emphasized that once aware of issues, the government "dealt with the issue with the Africans even offering them a safe haven" before emphatically denying any involvement in migrant smuggling—a denial that seemed to answer accusations not directly raised in the chamber.

Looking beyond the political sparring, Browne struck an ambitious note about his administration's continental strategy. "We have already begun talks with Ghana and other states as well," he declared, reinforcing his government's commitment to expanding African trade relationships.

"We stay committed to strengthening and expanding our ties with Africa," the Prime Minister concluded, framing the Rwanda agreement as part of a broader geopolitical pivot.

The parliamentary session also saw the ratification of similar aviation agreements with Qatar and Germany, alongside a decades-old CARICOM-Colombia pact for trade and technical cooperation that had languished since 1994.

One lawmaker noted the timing was particularly fortuitous given recent tariff pressures, suggesting the Caribbean nation should "exploit these opportunities in a timely manner"—though the 30-year delay in approving the Colombian agreement seemed to undermine this newfound sense of urgency.

As Antigua and Barbuda charts this ambitious course of international partnership expansion, the success of these newly ratified agreements will ultimately depend on implementation rather than parliamentary proclamations—a distinction that past aviation failures have made painfully clear.

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