BVI resuming commercial flights on Monday

The Terrence B Lettsome International Airport will resume commercial flight operations tomorrow (October 2), Managing Director of the BVI Airports Authority Denniston Fraser today told the National Emergency Operations Centre.

“The hours of operation will be from 7:30am to 5pm daily,” he said, adding that there will be no night operations at this time.

Following the impact of Hurricane Irma on September 6, operation at the airport was restricted to humanitarian, relief, and evacuation flights only.

Fraser said the airport sustained severe damage and, as result, repair work had to be undertaken to rectify the issues and meet the standards of Air Safety Support International (ASSI) for commercial flight authorisation.

He further explained: “Major concerns for ASSI were: having competent staff in place; addressing issues with the fence; [and] ensuring that equipment, control tower equipment and generators [are in a reliable position so that the Airport can function properly].”

Fraser also advised the travelling public to arrive at the airport at least three hours before the departure time as the check-in and security processes will be fully implemented.

Commercial flight operations at the Terrence B International Airport were expected to resume in mid-September following Hurricane Irma.

However, the passage of Hurricane Maria on September 19 resulted in further damage and delays to the planned resumption of commercial flights.