New Barbuda International Airport ready for inspection, approval from ECCA: PM Gaston Browne

Antigua and Barbuda: The construction of the New Barbuda International Airport has been in the last phase of the completion and is ready for inspection and approval by the Eastern Caribbean Civil Aviation Authority (ECCA).

The approval is expected to be granted in around two weeks as the country has now been planning to expand its runway.

Currently, the airport boasts a runway length of 6,100 feet and the construction of the project has been completed at the cost of US$14 million. Now, the government decided to expand its runway in order to accommodate international flights from major carriers and facilitate the landing of specific jet aircraft.

With the planning, the runway of the airport will be expanded by an additional 2,000 feet which will mark the total 8,000 feet length.

However, the approval from ECCA has been delaying the construction work of the runway as the inspection needs to be done to ensure the safety protocols of the airport so that it can come into operation.

Prime Minister Gaston Browne also shared glimpses of the airport and hinted that the airport is ready and the authorities can come for the inspection or approval anytime at Barbuda.

The runway expansion will enable the airport to accommodate bigger aircraft and all private jets that land at VC Bird International Airport, Antigua.

The airport is being constructed with the collaboration between the government of Antigua and Barbuda and PLH developers.

With the approval and the runway expansion, the airport will be opened with a grand celebration in Antigua and Barbuda, which will be recognized new infrastructural project.

Notably, the LIAT 2020 which has recently received its Air Operator Certificate (AOC) will also land its flight into Barbuda once it comes into official operations.

The planning for naming the airport is also underway in Antigua and Barbuda as Prime Minister’s Chief of Staff- Lionel Hurst outlined that they are looking to name the airport by someone’s name, but nothing has been decided yet.

The developers of the airport added that the facility is expected to be operational within 30 days. However,  the project has also been facing opposition and controversy as some campaigners questioned the process of its construction.

The matter has also been reached to the Privy Council where the concerns were raised that the aim of the airport is to accommodate private jets of affluent visitors, but the facility has been posing threats to the ecology of the country.