By Alaska Moore Johnson
A Liberian-owned aviation firm, Liberty Airlines, has formally objected to the Liberia Airport Authority’s (LAA) recent bid process for the rehabilitation and management of James Spriggs Payne Airport (JSPA) and four other domestic airports, specifically criticizing the bid process as exclusionary, lacking transparency at key stages, and inconsistent with relevant Liberian law and international norms.
A Legacy of Sacrifice and Investment
This company was founded by two Liberian entrepreneurs who left the United States to return home and invest in the aviation sector at a time when Liberia was emerging from civil conflict. One of the founders, a former United Airlines pilot, left his U.S. career in 1997 to serve as Deputy Managing Director at Roberts International Airport (RIA), before beginning private investments in Liberian aviation in 2002.
At that time, JSPA had been reduced to ruins—used as a dumping ground and public latrine, with no flights operating. Against this backdrop, the entrepreneurs secured a 25-year lease agreement and gradually rebuilt capacity. It took nearly a decade for the business to break even due to Liberia’s fragile post-war economy.
Over the years, partnerships were established with international operators, including HeliPortugal, which introduced 4 helicopters and pilots. This enabled payroll delivery services for the Government of Liberia, medical evacuations for concessionaires like ArcelorMittal, offshore helicopter services for African Petroleum, and chartered flights for several mining operators.
The firm constructed six hangars, 25 offices, and two airwings, grossed millions in revenue, and by 2014, employed more than 50 Liberians. When the Ebola pandemic struck, the company was forced to downsize drastically, letting go of 40 employees and cutting salaries of those retained, while still servicing debts and obligations. Unlike firms in developed nations that benefited from robust relief packages during crises, Liberian aviation companies survived with no government bailout.
Again in 2020, COVID-19 delivered another crippling blow to global aviation. In Liberia, operators bore the brunt alone, unlike their counterparts abroad who received significant government subsidies. To keep the company alive, the founders mortgaged their personal properties to access loans, covering payroll and sustaining operations in a cash-based economy where borrowing is collateral-driven and highly restrictive.
Today, the firm maintains 6 full-time employees and 24 contractors, with several staff having served since 2002.
Exclusion from the 2025 Bid
Despite a longstanding record of resilience, investment, and service, the aviation firm points out that the LAA did not convene any consultative sessions with local stakeholders prior to issuing the August 2025 bid. According to the firm, customary international practice and relevant Liberian legal requirements call for such consultations to ensure tender documents reflect current sector realities. The absence of consultation here, they claim, undermines the process’ inclusivity and transparency.
Instead, the bid was advertised only in a local newspaper with a 30-day deadline, requiring bidders to have completed two PPP projects within the last 10 years and show an average annual turnover of US$1 million. Industry observers note that these criteria appear designed for a specific foreign firm, rather than open competition.
“How can Liberia’s aviation pioneers—who invested when the airport was abandoned and who have weathered civil war, Ebola, and COVID-19—be excluded by criteria crafted to suit foreign operators?” asked one aviation analyst.
The firm emphasized that Section 79 of the Public Procurement and Concessions Act (PPCA), which requires submission of a Concession Procurement Plan for PPCC approval before tenders are issued, appears not to have been followed.
Broader Economic and Policy Contradictions
Critics argue the bid contradicts the Liberianization Policy, which was designed to ensure meaningful participation of Liberians in strategic sectors. Liberia’s banking and mining industries are already dominated by foreign operators. Aviation remains one of the few sectors where Liberians still have an active stake.
The controversy also clashes with President Joseph Boakai’s ARREST Agenda and Executive Order No. 135, which aims to empower Liberian businesses and protect local industries. It raises questions about why Liberians from the diaspora—celebrated at government-hosted Diaspora Dialogues and Investment Forums—would return to invest if their efforts are systematically sidelined.
Call for Transparency and Inclusion
The aviation firm is urging the PPCC and the LAA to:
• Review the legality of the current bid process under the PPCA.
• Ensure meaningful consultation with Liberian aviation stakeholders;
• Revise concession terms to reflect international norms (20–30 years, not 10);
• Guarantee that Liberian companies with credible foreign technical and financial partners are not excluded.
What Is at Stake
“This is bigger than aviation,” one governance expert commented. “It is about whether Liberia truly wants its own people to win. If every major sector—banking, mining, telecoms, now aviation—remains ceded to foreigners, how can we claim to be building a sustainable economy?”
The aviation firm says it remains committed to Liberia’s aviation development but insists that any concession process must be transparent, lawful, and inclusive of Liberians who have proven their commitment through decades of sacrifice.
PPCC Response
Responding to inquiry, the PPCC through its Communications Officer, Mr. Nathan Bangu, stated that the LAA had requested from the PPCC to allow them carry on a “single source” meaning for one person or entity to be chosen and granted the right to do what it (LAA) wants.
“We, I mean PPCC, told them to convince us through documentations why they should be allowed to carry on the single sourcing. But when we had reviewed their request, we advised them to do an International Competition Bidding (ICB), which we understand was done.”
He further clarified that if a bidding process takes place and a party doesn’t feel satisfy with how the process went on that party has the right to lodge a formal complaint with the PPCC and the procurement agency will be under obligation to look into those specific areas raised by the complainant.
LAA Response
In a letter dated September 22, 2025 from Mr. Emmanuel T. Taplah, Port Manager/LAA-JSPA, to Mr. Ronald Mitchell, Chairman Liberty Airlines, the JSPA Port Manager told Mitchell that whatever processes that they carried out were “sanctioned by the PPCC”.
“All actions executed by this Authority were consistent with the laws, regulations, and procedures governing public procurement in Liberia.
“Should you have any concern or issues regarding the process, we respectfully advise that such matters be directed to the competent authority with the statutory mandate to address and resolve procurement related matters.”
