Beautiful Virgin Islands

Tuesday, Jun 03, 2025

‘Let’s stop dilly-dallying & get the airport expanded’- Hon Vanterpool

‘Let’s stop dilly-dallying & get the airport expanded’- Hon Vanterpool

Making the point that the Virgin Islands (VI) must continue to invest in its ports to be able to reap maximum benefits to sustain the economy, Fourth District Representative and prominent entrepreneur Honourable Mark H. Vanterpool has urged his Unity Government to waste no more time in extending the Terrance B. Lettsome International Airport runway on Beef Island.

‘A marginal airport still isn’t the best thing for us’

“We sit down here dilly-dallying with the airport for years, dilly-dallying, including my government, and now we got to be hoping American Airlines come in. But I want to tell the Minister, put in place the expansion of the airport because a marginal airport still isn’t the best thing for us,” Hon Vanterpool said during the budget debate at the Continuation of the Ninth Sitting of the Fourth Session of the Fourth House of Assembly at Save the Seed Energy Centre in Duff’s Bottom, Tortola on December 20, 2022.

Hon Vanterpool said he was “happy and excited and pleased” to the see the negotiations Premier and Minister of Finance Dr the Honourable Natalio D. Wheatley (R7) and Deputy Premier and Minister for Communications and Works Hon Kye M. Rymer (R5) made with American Airlines (AA) to have direct flights from Miami in the USA to Beef Island beginning June 1, 2023; however, the airport expansion is still needed.

“And I hope that it [direct flights with American Airlines] happens and I look forward to it. I will celebrate in June next year, because the country needs it but let’s keep working on the airport expansion and get it right,” Hon Vanterpool insisted.


Although American Airlines (AA) will be making a return to the [British] Virgin Islands on June 1, 2023, an extended airport runway is still needed.

‘Airport should not cost as much as stated before’

Prior to the hurricanes in September 2017, the then-ruling National Democratic Party (NDP) government had given the cost of extending the runway of the Terrence B. Lettsome International Airport by about 2,455 feet as an estimated $153 million. The figure was then increased to $250 million, as stated in the revised Recovery to Development Plan which was published in December 2017. 

Hon Vanterpool now believes; however, extending the airport runway should not cost the territory the large amounts stated before if it is done in a smart way.

“It doesn’t cost, it should not cost the amount of money we were talking about before…Mr Speaker, we have all kind of trucks here and all kind of rocks/stones, that you tell them truckmen and them rock/stone people to throw some rocks up by the airport tomorrow, before the end of the year there would have big rocks up there…

“Give me the airport to fix for yall…you would see an airport in a short time. Honourable Minister, let’s stop dilly-dallying with the airport and get this thing expanded and move on,” Hon Vanterpool urged.

Both Premier Wheatley and Hon Rymer have previously stated an extended runway is still needed to facilitate direct flights from other areas on the mainland USA and other countries.

Former Speaker Mr Julian Willock has also been one of the voices calling for the extension of the airport runway.
Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
Harvard Urges US to Unfreeze Funds for Public Health Research
Businessman Mauled by Lion at Luxury Namibian Lodge
Researchers Consider New Destinations Beyond the U.S.
53-Year-Old Doctor Claims Biological Age of 23
Trump Struggles to Secure Trade Deals With China and Europe
Russia to Return 6,000 Corpses Under Ukraine Prisoner Swap Deal
Microsoft Lays Off Hundreds More Amid Restructuring
Harvey Weinstein’s Publicist Embraces Notoriety
Macron and Meloni Seek Unity Despite Tensions
Trump Administration Accused of Obstructing Deportation Cases
Newark Mayor Sues Over Arrest at Immigration Facility
Center-Left Candidate Projected to Win South Korean Presidency
Trump’s Tariffs Predicted to Stall Global Economic Growth
South Korea’s President-Elect Expected to Take Softer Line on Trump and North Korea
Trump’s China Strategy Remains a Geopolitical Puzzle
Ukraine Executes Long-Range Drone Strikes on Russian Airbases
Conservative Karol Nawrocki wins Poland’s presidential election
Study Identifies Potential Radicalization Risk Among Over One Million Muslims in Germany
Good news: Annalena Baerbock Elected President of the UN General Assembly
Apple Appeals EU Law Over User Data Sharing Requirements
South Africa: "First Black Bank" Collapses after Being Looted by Owners
Poland will now withdraw from the EU migration pact after pro-Trump nationalist wins Election
"That's Disgusting, Don’t Say It Again": The Trump Joke That Made the President Boil
Trump Cancels NASA Nominee Over Democratic Donations
Paris Saint-Germain's Greatest Triumph Is Football’s Lowest Point
OnlyFans for Sale: From Lockdown Lifeline to Eight-Billion-Dollar Empire
Mayor’s Security Officer Implicated | Shocking New Details Emerge in NYC Kidnapping Case
Hegseth Warns of Potential Chinese Military Action Against Taiwan
OPEC+ Agrees to Increase Oil Output for Third Consecutive Month
Jamie Dimon Warns U.S. Bond Market Faces Pressure from Rising Debt
Turkey Detains Istanbul Officials Amid Anti-Corruption Crackdown
Taylor Swift Gains Ownership of Her First Six Albums
Bangkok Ranked World's Top City for Remote Work in 2025
Satirical Sketch Sparks Political Spouse Feud in South Korea
Indonesia Quarry Collapse Leaves Multiple Dead and Missing
South Korean Election Video Pulled Amid Misogyny Outcry
Asian Economies Shift Away from US Dollar Amid Trade Tensions
Netflix Investigates Allegations of On-Set Mistreatment in K-Drama Production
US Defence Chief Reaffirms Strong Ties with Singapore Amid Regional Tensions
Vietnam Faces Strategic Dilemma Over China's Mekong River Projects
Malaysia's First AI Preacher Sparks Debate on Islamic Principles
White House Press Secretary Criticizes Harvard Funding, Advocates for Vocational Training
France to Implement Nationwide Smoking Ban in Outdoor Spaces Frequented by Children
Meta and Anduril Collaborate on AI-Driven Military Augmented Reality Systems
Russia's Fossil Fuel Revenues Approach €900 Billion Since Ukraine Invasion
U.S. Justice Department Reduces American Bar Association's Role in Judicial Nominations
U.S. Department of Energy Unveils 'Doudna' Supercomputer to Advance AI Research
U.S. SEC Dismisses Lawsuit Against Binance Amid Regulatory Shift
Alcohol Industry Faces Increased Scrutiny Amid Health Concerns
Italy Faces Population Decline Amid Youth Emigration
×