High priority! Consultants sought for airport ‘route development’
The Recovery and Development Agency (RDA) is seeking consultancy services for route development and traffic forecast for the Terrance B Lettsome International Airport (TBLIA).
These services are being sought because the government recently made it ‘a matter of high priority’ for the BVI Airports Authority (BVIAA) to make improvements to the TBLIA that will enable direct air access to and from major international destinations on the east coast of the United States.
The initiative is said to be part of the government’s economic development agenda.
To be considered for the consultancy, applicants must have the necessary qualification experience, technical competence, local and regional experience, and must also have had similar assignments. They must further disclose their financial capability and existing commitments.
In the budget address made a few weeks ago, Premier Andrew Fahie said technical works geared towards the expansion of the TBLIA runway were ongoing.
In preparation for additional traffic, the Premier said the BVIAA is continuing works on improving the passenger experience through the airport with the implementation of a Common Use System to accommodate more airlines and X-ray machines that will improve screening quality, and speed up processing times.
He further noted that service reliability has also been improved with the addition of two new fire appliances and the imminent installation of an upgraded tower console.
“The funding for these are already appropriated — some in this year’s budget and some in next year’s budget, so that we can move hastily to ensure that our runways are extended,” the Premier said.
The deadline to submit expressions of interest for the consultancy is December 30, 2021.
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Yall need consultants for ever ga da thing.. We need to learn to wipe our a properly.. I think we need consultants..Every week man.. smh yall need to go.
Compare the costs of arriving and departing in the BVI with the USVI. The US don’t charge all of those taxes. Where is all of that money going to? Not very tourist friendly,
Consult with me, man. Toss a bunch of Tarris into the water until it reaches the surface. Pave over it. Don’t drive any piles or dredge out anything. Cut me my 150K Cheque. Collect your 45K at my house. Laugh, dops and repeat.
Another paid consultant again? W
Another paid consultant again? Why not listen to the people who pay taxes in this country for free?
Lol, you bloggers are ridiculous.
NDP/PVIM have paid blogging jobs available. Why don’t you apply?
I guess this is all you can do. Blog negative BS all day. At least you are good at your craft. Lol
Bloomy shut up… You think everyone likes the Vip?.. Who has time to pay bloggers to blog on their behalf?.. Will blogging take the place of votes?.. You are pathetic, a low life and a bigot.. Get lost.
Question: Why does the BVI continue to want to be like St. Thomas?
Wanting to have direct flights to better our tourist/financial services product as well as lives of residents is wanting to be like St Thomas?
The BVI did this years ago, when Kedrick was Minister he had a very high paid consultant what happen to his notes, the question is why are we reinventing the wheel, and repeating work that was already done.
Don’t forget that during the last NDP administration, they also received 2 bids with firms interested in doing a design, build, operate and transfer of works to the airport.
What happened to those bids? Are they still under negotiation, were they rejected?
Now we here with airport consultancy once again.
Just wasting tax payers money
Use the St Thomas airport, have a dedicated ferry service to Airport dock. 3 round trips a day. this will cost a fraction of what is put into Beef Island Airport.whisk people over in no time and in comfort.
Not an option
You people can’t run your own households. Just failures all around. And every day telling govt what to do lol.
Wish I could like your comment 100 times!
The previous government spent a lot of time and money on this, only to conclude that it was financially unfeasible, and would, in any case, require outside investors, non of whom could be found. Not every small place, population 30,000, has or can afford an international airport. What has changed? I hate to suggest this, but is it only an excuse to pay some entity to come to the same conclusion?
There are only three sensible solutions: 1) As has been said, so many times, an efficient, first class ferry solution – and don’t worry about whoever’s toes get stepped on, or 2) Something along the lines of what was tried with the $7 million planes. The fact that disaster was poorly supervised and partnered with the wrong people does not make it a bad idea. Do it carefully, with competent partners, and it will be much more cost effective than lengthening the runway, which we already know will cost a fortune we do not have. 3) A year or so ago, and much to everyone’s astonishment, a Canadian company flew a charter flight to and from Canada. I say “astonishment”, because we had been told that aircraft with this capability did not exist. Apparently, they do, so research that, and the airlines that operate them, and develop something along those lines.
Lengthening the runway is the most expensive solution, unless, dare I suggest it, spending a lot of public money is the real goal.
Here we go again with the “ If you build it, they will come” mentality. No doubt having direct air service to the N. American continent is desireable and wanted but the passenger load factor is just not there to sustain it. At best, you might be able to support one flight a week. For that, you’d have to spend $$$ to maintain the airport, presumably supported by even higher arrival and departure taxes.
IMHO, you could spend a fraction of the money and have world class ferry service to and from STT. Do the C&I en route.
For conventional, gear the airport for two types.
Long Range: Airbus A220 (Talk to Delta, JetBlue, Breeze)
Inter-Island: ATR
Get on the future train: electric/hybrid/VTOL
Save money and extend runway less. Max leg your looking at is ~1500NM. I can’t see how by the time the planned airport extension is done it wouldn’t be made irrelevant.
Govt will cozy up to the Chinese who will build it, in a slipshod manner and finance it in such a way that the BVI can never pay for it, so the Chinese will just take land to settle the debt while the BVI ends up with a useless facility. Think I’m kidding? Look throughout the Caribbean, they’ve done it with all sorts of projects
Now that they see that Anguilla and Dominica have direct flights to the US on American Airlines you see how vulnerable we are. The BVI might now be the only jurisdiction in the Caribbean that does not have direct flights to the US. That is tremendously disappointing! Fix it BVI Gov.
You are exactly right. This “high priority” only came about because of the new AA services to Anguilla and Dominica. Everywhere else in the caribbean has US flight. Employing consultants will not fix the issue. Approaching the airlines directly would get things going.
We Neereeed Consultant to find out where the Social money and the pension money taken out of our pay for over a year has gone . Nothing and NO RECORD of that money can be found from the SS Department not the institution where the pension is paid
As workers with BVIAA that is what we need to know
This happening right in front of you eyes right now!
The hands in the cookie jar AGAIN for the same crap. Why can’t these politicians come up with their own ideas on how to fix this airport? When you get them in front of a microphone they can’t stop talking about it. Just write down what you want to do and use this money to do some of it.
ENOUGH WITH THIS CONSULT MESS
Heres a free consultation… Use smaller aircraft that can land on the runway. Run the route Thurs, Fri, sun, and mon. Fly in and out of a budget carriers hub like Miami or atlanta. If you can’t fill a smaller aircraft with 20 passengers 4 days a week consistently, there is no need at all to expand anything.