In a significant win for the territory, more flights from more destinations inside and outside the Caribbean have been coming to the Virgin Islands in recent months.
The resulting increase in airlift will bring big benefits to the VI economy and to a community where many residents maintain close ties to other Caribbean islands.
The government and the BVI Airports Authority deserve kudos for facilitating the boost.
But while celebrating the new options, it’s also a good time for policymakers and the public to think critically and carefully about the planned expansion of the runway at the Terrance B. Lettsome International Airport.
In the past three months alone, two carriers — Sunrise Airways and Caribbean Airlines — have launched or announced new flights to Beef Island from other islands including the Dominican Republic, Antigua, St. Maarten and Puerto Rico.
Winair may also increase its VI flights, and LIAT 2020, the successor of the defunct regional carrier LIAT, has expressed interest in flying to Beef Island soon as well.
Meanwhile, American Airlines announced in May that it plans to increase its direct Miami flights, which have seen much success since launching in June 2023, to as many as five per day during the coming tourism season.
Altogether, the new flights are expected to help bring passenger traffic up to pre-Hurricane Irma levels by the end of the year — a clear indication that there is strong demand for travel to and from the VI.
The boost in regional flights is especially exciting and will surely strengthen Caribbean ties. While some of the changes were likely spurred by the recent closure of LIAT, which provided opportunity for new airlines to emerge, there appears to be pent-up demand that will fill these seats.
It’s also exciting to note that the new flights are being offered in a variety of small and medium-sized aircraft — the Embraer 170, the ATR72, the ATR42 and the Twin Otter — that can operate on the existing runway at Beef Island.
Nevertheless, the VI government remains strongly committed to a 2,400-foot runway extension to accommodate much larger jets that could bring many more visitors someday. But the specific costs and benefits of this plan, which would be the most expensive public project in VI history, have not been fully disclosed to the public.
A “business case” to explore the feasibility of the strategic, economic, commercial, financial and management aspects of the project was commissioned this year but hasn’t been released. And no public meetings on the project have been held for several years.
Premier Dr. Natalio “Sowande” Wheatley has said the territory has “passed the stage” of debating whether the runway should be expanded. He is wrong, particularly in the absence of a completed business case in the public domain.
Airlines in the market today are proving that airlift to and from the VI can be increased on the existing runway. There are limits to that growth, of course, but a new community conversation is needed about the way forward.