Beautiful Virgin Islands

Wednesday, Oct 29, 2025

$8.9M in grants for USVI airports; UK still reaping $$ from VI

$8.9M in grants for USVI airports; UK still reaping $$ from VI

While the United Kingdom (UK) based Air Safety Support International (ASSI) continues to take millions from the Virgin Islands (VI) treasury, over in the US Virgin Islands (USVI), the airports there will receive some $8.9M in infrastructure grants from the Donald J. Trump administration.

US Secretary of Transportation Elaine L. Chao announced today, September 1, 2020, that more than $1.2 billion will be awarded in airport safety and infrastructure grants through the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to 405 airports in 50 states and six US territories.

“This $1.2 billion federal investment will improve our nation’s airport infrastructure, enhance safety, and strengthen growth in local communities, which is especially important as the economy recovers from COVID-19,” said Chao.

The Department is awarding some 8.9M in federal grants to the following airports in the Territory of the US Virgin Islands:

$4,711,111 for Cyril E. King Airport on St Thomas to reconstruct the aircraft parking apron.

$4,148,395 for Henry E. Rohlsen Airport on St Croix to purchase an emergency generator and reconstruct runway and taxiway lighting and lighting vault.

“The 434 AIP grants will fund critical airport infrastructure projects around the country,” said FAA Administrator Stephen M. Dickson.

Since January 2017, the Trump Administration delivered $13.5 billion to America’s airports to improve infrastructure and safety.

In 2020, the Administration delivered $10 billion in economic assistance to America’s airports during the COVID-19 public health emergency.


US Secretary of Transportation Elaine L. Chao announced today, September 1, 2020, that more than $1.2 billion will be awarded in airport safety and infrastructure grants through the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to 405 airports in 50 states and six US territories.


UK taking $$ from VI


Meanwhile, in has been well over 15 years that ASSI has taken over the role of regulating airports in the Virgin Islands, costing taxpayers millions of dollars that could have been used to train locals to run the regulatory side of the government department and improve the safety concerns that led to the takeover in the first place.

It was in 2004 that the then National Democratic Party (NDP) Administration was to set up a Civil Aviation Department with its new role, but suddenly it was said that there was no qualified Virgin Islander to fill the new post of Director of Civil Aviation under the new portfolio.

The same year, 2004, quite interestingly an audit was done by the United Kingdom Civil Aviation Authority, which claimed there were deficiencies with the Virgin Islands airports, including reported safety issues. The same things were also said about many other Overseas Territories airports by the UK report.


Auguste George Airport in Anegada. Bottom: Taddy Bay Airport on Virgin Gorda. While the United Kingdom (UK) based Air Safety Support International (ASSI) continues to take millions from the Virgin Islands (VI) treasury, over in the US Virgin Islands (USVI), the airports there will receive some $8.9M in infrastructure grants from the Donald J. Trump administration.


The plan!


The UK then came up with a plan to take over many of the Overseas Territories’ Civil Aviation Departments, including the Virgin Islands’ (VI) and closed many of their Civil Aviation Departments, claiming that they wanted to help and provide a more cohesive system of civil aviation safety regulations.

With the support of many of the Overseas Territories’ governors, including the then Governor Tom T. Macan, the British set up a wholly-owned subsidiary company called Air Safety Support International (ASSI), a subsidiary company of the United Kingdom Civil Aviation Authority.

This company was to take over the role of Civil Aviation Departments and, according to the UK, at some point ASSI would gradually hand over the functions back to the VI, along with the other Overseas Territories affected, once they were deemed “ready to take over.”

More than 15 years later, ASSI remains firmly in control and taking millions in taxpayers money to do what can be done by locals.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
Elon Musk Unveils Grokipedia: An AI-Driven Alternative to Wikipedia
Saudi Arabia Unveils Vision for First-Ever "Sky Stadium" Suspended Over Desert Floor
Amazon Announces 14 000 Corporate Job Cuts as AI Investment Accelerates
UK Shop Prices Fall for First Time Since March, Food Leads the Decline
London Stock Exchange Group ADR (LNSTY) Earns Zacks Rank #1 Upgrade on Rising Earnings Outlook
Soap legend Tony Adams, long-time star of Crossroads, dies at 84
Rachel Reeves Signals Tax Increases Ahead of November Budget Amid £20-50 Billion Fiscal Gap
NatWest Past Gains of 314% Spotlight Opportunity — But Some Key Risks Remain
UK Launches ‘Golden Age’ of Nuclear with £38 Billion Sizewell C Approval
UK Announces £1.08 Billion Budget for Offshore Wind Auction to Boost 2030 Capacity
UK Seeks Steel Alliance with EU and US to Counter China’s Over-Capacity
UK Struggles to Balance China as Both Strategic Threat and Valued Trading Partner
Argentina’s Markets Surge as Milei’s Party Secures Major Win
British Journalist Sami Hamdi Detained by U.S. Authorities After Visa Revocation Amid Israel-Gaza Commentary
King Charles Unveils UK’s First LGBT+ Armed Forces Memorial at National Memorial Arboretum
At ninety-two and re-elected: Paul Biya secures eighth term in Cameroon amid unrest
Racist Incidents Against UK Nurses Surge by 55%
UK Chancellor Rachel Reeves Cites Shared Concerns With Trump Administration as Foundation for Early US-UK Trade Deal
Essentra plc: A Closer Look at a UK ‘Penny Stock’ Opportunity Amid Market Weakness
U.S. and China Near Deal to Avert Rare-Earth Export Controls Ahead of Trump-Xi Summit
Justin time: Justin Herbert Shields Madison Beer with Impressive Reflex at Lakers Game
Russia’s President Putin Declares Burevestnik Nuclear Cruise Missile Ready for Deployment
Giuffre’s Memoir Alleges Maxwell Claimed Sexual Act with Clooney
House Republicans Move to Strip NYC Mayoral Front-Runner Zohran Mamdani of U.S. Citizenship
Record-High Spoiled Ballots Signal Voter Discontent in Ireland’s 2025 Presidential Election
Philippines’ Taal Volcano Erupts Overnight with 2.4 km Ash Plume
Albania’s Virtual AI 'Minister' Diella Set to 'Birth' Eighty-Three Digital Assistants for MPs
Tesla Unveils Vision for Optimus V3 as ‘Biggest Product of All Time’, Including Surgical Capabilities
Francis Ford Coppola Auctions Luxury Watches After Self-Financed Film Flop
Convicted Sex Offender Mistakenly Freed by UK Prison Service Arrested in London
United States and China Begin Constructive Trade Negotiations Ahead of Trump–Xi Summit
U.S. Treasury Sanctions Colombia’s President Gustavo Petro over Drug-Trafficking Allegations
Miss USA Crowns Nebraska’s Audrey Eckert Amid Leadership Overhaul
‘I Am Not Done’: Kamala Harris Signals Possible 2028 White House Run
NBA Faces Integrity Crisis After Mass Arrests in Gambling Scandal
Swift Heist at the Louvre Sees Eight French Crown Jewels Stolen in Under Seven Minutes
U.S. Halts Trade Talks with Canada After Ontario Ad Using Reagan Voice Triggers Diplomatic Fallout
Microsoft AI CEO: ‘We’re making an AI that you can trust your kids to use’ — but can Microsoft rebuild its own trust before fixing the industry’s?
China and Russia Deploy Seductive Espionage Networks to Infiltrate U.S. Tech Sector
Apple’s ‘iPhone Air’ Collapses After One Month — Another Major Misstep for the Tech Giant
Graham Potter Begins New Chapter as Sweden Head Coach on Short-Term Deal
Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa Alleges Poison Plot via Chocolate and Jam
Lakestar to Halt External Fundraising as Investor in Revolut and Spotify
U.S. Innovation Ranking Under Scrutiny as China Leads Output Outputs but Ranks 10th
Three Men Arrested in London on Suspicion of Spying for Russia
Porsche Reverses EV Strategy as New CEO Bets on Petrol and Hybrids
Singapore’s Prime Minister Warns of ‘Messy’ Transition to Post-American Global Order
Andreessen Horowitz Sets Sights on Ten-Billion-Dollar Fund for Tech Surge
US Administration Under President Donald Trump Reportedly Lifts Ban on Ukraine’s Use of Storm Shadow Missiles Against Russia
‘Frightening’ First Night in Prison for Sarkozy: Inmates Riot and Shout ‘Little Nicolas’
×