As government moves forward with its plan to expand the Terrance B. Lettsome International Airport, it will pursue a “design-build procurement model” under which a private-sector partner will design and extend the runway but the BVI Airports Authority will continue to operate the facility, Deputy Premier Dr. Kedrick Pickering said in the House of Assembly Monday morning.
Leaders, he added, ruled out a “concession model” that would allow a private-sector partner to operate the facility for as long as 30 years.
The plan is to extend the runway from 4,596 feet to 7,100 feet, which would accommodate larger Airbus A320 and Boeing 737-800 jets, according to the minister.
“Opening the BVI to these aircraft will bring the prospect of direct flights from a wider range of North American destinations and improved connections for travellers from Europe and beyond,” he said.
Dr. Pickering added that the United Kingdom government “agrees that this infrastructure project is affordable in the context of the BVI Medium Term Fiscal Plan,” and that government is seeking financing for it now.
According to the deputy premier, who is also the minister of natural resources and labour, the expanded runway will be built on an embankment and it will be designed to allow seawater to continue flowing in and out of Trellis Bay.
See the Jan. 28, 2016 edition for full coverage.
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