Above: one of LIAT’s new ATR planes

By the Caribbean Journal staff

New LIAT CEO David Evans has officially assumed office, the company announced Tuesday.

Evans arrived in St John’s, Antigua from the United Kingdom on Sunday vowing to work with existing staff to determine how to improve the Caribbean airline.

“The years I have spent in the airline business have taught me that there is no monopoly of wisdom in the CEO’s office,” he said, calling the staff “those closest to the customers and who have the best insight into what the customers want.”

Evans’ previous Caribbean experience includes a stint as Caribbean area manager for British Airways.

LIAT’s customer service has often been the target of criticism in recent years; Evans said that the company’s service would be a key differentiator because “it is people who deliver service, not airplanes and engines.”

He succeeds Acting CEO Julia Reifer-Jones in the role, who took office following the resignation of former CEO Captain Ian Brunton last year.

“I will focus on what we do well, and what we can do better,” Evans said.