St Kitts and Nevis: Reports confirm RLB Airport not privatized amid Liburd's Allegations

St Kitts and Nevis: Reports have confirmed that the Robert L Bradshaw Airport in St Kitts and Nevis, operated by the St Christopher Air and Sea Ports Authority (SCASPA) is a public asset owned by the people of the twin island federation. The reports confirmed that the international airport is not being privatized, after claims were made that the project has been ‘Secretly Sold’.  

This was stated by Ian ‘Patches’ Liburd, the former Minister of Public Infrastructure in his recent podcast session ‘Straight talks’ where he alleged that the airport was secretly sold out, despite the widely publicized plans for its expansion under the Citizenship by Investment (CBI) Programme.  

In his podcast, Liburd accused the government of signing a deal with the Caribbean Infrastructure Development Corporation (CDC) to privatize the airport under the CBI Public Benefit option. He further stated that the Prime Minister of St Kitts and Nevis, Dr Terrance Drew had already entered an agreement to hand over the control of the airport.  

As per reports, the airport expansion project was made public in December 2024 through the CBI’s Public Benefit Option, and the partnership with CIDC was introduced as a flagship development under the CBI programme. However, questions are being raised against Liburd, with many arguing that his claims lack credibility.  

Reportedly, records have resurfaced from 2019 amid the controversy which cite that Liburd was involved in serious breaches of the International Airport security protocols. According to the sources, he bypassed the standard security procedures on several different occasions and allegedly engaged in misconduct at the airport.  

The incident took place at the same RLB international airport, which Liburd has accused of privatizing. This incident that took place at the airport significantly impacted on the airport’s overall ranking as it was downgraded by the global authorities. This is being also said that the ruling government during that time tried to fade the incident by stating them as rumors and despite addressing the breaches through transparency and integrity.