By Robert Andre Emmanuel
Minister of Information Melford Nicholas says the government is still awaiting final approval from the Eastern Caribbean Civil Aviation Authority (ECCAA) for the certification of the newly constructed Barbuda international airport.
Top government officials have spent months building anticipation for the opening of the airport, after telling reporters on multiple occasions that approval was mere weeks away.
The airport has seen multiple improvements since then as the government said it has spent more than US$14 million to build the now 7,100ft runway, and training for fire service, airport staff and other personnel has been ongoing.
According to Minister Nicholas, ECCAA is striving to get its category one classification from the USA’s Federal Aviation Administration restored. The authority was downgraded in 2020 because it did “not comply with International Civil Aviation Organization safety standards”.
The lower category two rating covers Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, Grenada, St Kitts and Nevis, St Lucia, and St Vincent and the Grenadines.
“From my recent visit to Barbuda, the information that I have is having regard to the fact that it wants to get the whole ECCAA area returned to category one, and in an attempt to do that, they are making sure that they are using the Barbuda airport experience as a measure to indicate to the international community that from a regulatory standpoint that they are able to manage the environment to be able to get us back to category one,” Minister Nicholas explained.
“So, it’s a little bit more tedious than we would have anticipated but we are [nearly there] and I think at the next inspection, they may well pass,” he added.
Government is keen to get the international airport up and running in a bid to attract private jets and their wealthy clientele to the sister island. But the facility’s construction has prompted a backlash and ongoing legal action from local environmentalists.
