Beautiful Virgin Islands

Wednesday, Aug 27, 2025

Pickering takes fall for failure to expand airport under NDP gov’t

Pickering takes fall for failure to expand airport under NDP gov’t

Former Deputy Premier Dr Kedrick Pickering has accepted responsibility for failure to extend the Terrance B Lettsome Airport runway under the previously governing National Democratic Party (NDP) administration.

“Any failure with respect and regard to the airport development, I have to take, if not all the blame, full responsibility. It was my portfolio and I was the one who should have gotten it done,” Dr Pickering said on the Honestly Speaking radio programme recently.

Dr Pickering declined to confirm, however, whether an alleged personality conflict between himself and other serving ministers at the time led to the stagnation of the project.

“When you become a member of Cabinet, you have to sign an oath of confidentiality and as much as I would like to say this and say that, it will be remiss of me to say what I can’t say,” Dr Pickering said in relation to that reported conflict.

“I’m not here to lay blame on anybody’s feet or to cast aspersions or anything. Both individually and collectively, we failed as a government to get the airport project done,” he added.

Dr Pickering said based on the information he has seen, there is no choice with regard to getting the airport expansion done if the BVI wanted to build its economy and take it to another level as air access is extremely important in achieving this.

“It is the number-one complaint from people coming to the BVI, both for pleasure and for business,” Dr Pickering said. “So, the issue with respect to whether we need an airport expansion is not a question anymore. It’s something that is accepted that has to be done.”

Dr Pickering further said there were pros and cons for both options that were looked at in the end.

However, he said based on the overall cost and an examination of the impact to the territory, it was finally decided to extend the runway at both the eastern and western ends as it stands.

He said the recommendation was for an additional 500 feet to the west and approximately 2,500 feet to the east, both of which included filling in some amount of the ocean.

We are in a race against time


Dr Pickering noted that regardless of the hesitancy surrounding the cost back when it was first raised more a decade ago, the expansion still needed to happen, even as costs continue to escalate at this time.

“We put ourselves in a race against time and right now, it is obvious that we have fallen way behind when we look at what has happened in Dominica and Anguilla just around us in terms of where we need to go,” he added.

According to Dr Pickering, one of the fundamental aspects that emerged from studies conducted years ago was that the BVI needed access to the eastern seaboard of the United States, even if it were only to Miami, Florida.

“[Access to] anywhere in the United States puts you in the game, so to speak, because right now you can’t compete and everybody else is moving ahead of you. It’s like we are still wearing garments from the 70s and people are fashionable in the 2000s.

He added: “We want to be competing, we want to be in the game, but we’re not equipping ourselves to be in the game.”

Just this week, Premier Andrew Fahie announced that he has sent invitations to several major airlines such as jetBlue, American Airlines, and Delta Airlines to operate in the BVI. He said a new airline will begin operating in the territory in another six to seven months.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
Spotify’s Strange Move: The Feature Nobody Asked For – Returns
Manhunt in Australia: Armed Anti-Government Suspect Kills Police Officers Sent to Arrest Him
China Launches World’s Most Powerful Neutrino Detector
How Beijing-Linked Networks Shape Elections in New York City
Ukrainian Refugee Iryna Zarutska Fled War To US, Stabbed To Death
Elon Musk Sues Apple and OpenAI Over Alleged App Store Monopoly
2 Australian Police Shot Dead In Encounter In Rural Victoria State
Vietnam Evacuates Hundreds of Thousands as Typhoon Kajiki Strikes; China’s Sanya Shuts Down
UK Government Delays Decision on China’s Proposed London Embassy Amid Concerns Over Redacted Plans
A 150-Year Tradition to Be Abolished? Uproar Over the Popular Central Park Attraction
A new faith called Robotheism claims artificial intelligence isn’t just smart but actually God itself
Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner Purchases Third Property Amid Housing Tax Reforms Debate
HSBC Switzerland Ends Relationships with Over 1,000 Clients from Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Qatar, and Egypt
Sharia Law Made Legally Binding in Austria Despite Warnings Over 'Incompatible' Values
Italian Facebook Group Sharing Intimate Images Without Consent Shut Down Amid Police Investigation
Dutch Foreign Minister Resigns Amid Deadlock Over Israel Sanctions
Trump and Allies Send Messages of Support to Ukraine on Independence Day Amid Ongoing Conflict
China Reels as Telegram Chat Group Shares Hidden-Camera Footage of Women and Children
Sam Nicoresti becomes first transgender comedian to win Edinburgh Comedy Award
Builders uncover historic human remains in Lancashire house renovation
Australia Wants to Tax Your Empty Bedrooms
MotoGP Cameraman Narrowly Avoids Pedro Acosta Crash at Hungarian Grand Prix
FBI Investigates John Bolton Over Classified Documents in High-Profile Raids
Report reveals OpenAI pitched national ChatGPT Plus subscription to UK ministers
Labour set to freeze income tax thresholds in long-term 'stealth' tax raid
Coca‑Cola explores sale of Costa coffee chain
Trial hears dog walker was chased and fatally stabbed by trio
Restaurateur resigns from government hospitality council over tax criticism
Spanish City funfair shut after serious ride injury
Suspected arson at Ilford restaurant leaves three in critical condition
Tottenham beat Manchester City to go top of Premier League
Bank holiday heatwave to hit 30°C before remnants of Hurricane Erin arrive
UK to deploy immigration advisers to West Africa to block fake visas
Nurse who raped woman continued working for a year despite police alert
Drought forces closures of England’s canal routes, canceling boat holidays
Sweet tooth scents: food-inspired perfumes surge as weight-loss drugs suppress appetites
Experts warn Britain dangerously reliant on imported food
Family of Notting Hill Carnival murder victim call event unmanageable
Bunkers, Billions and Apocalypse: The Secret Compounds of Zuckerberg and the Tech Giants
Ukraine Declares De Facto War on Hungary and Slovakia with Terror Drone Strikes on Their Gas Lifeline
Animated K-pop Musical ‘KPop Demon Hunters’ Becomes Netflix’s Most-Watched Original Animated Film
New York Appeals Court Voids Nearly $500 Million Civil Fraud Penalty Against Trump While Upholding Fraud Liability
Elon Musk tweeted, “Europe is dying”
Far-Right Activist Convicted of Incitement Changes Gender and Demands: "Send Me to a Women’s Prison" | The Storm in Germany
Hungary Criticizes Ukraine: "Violating Our Sovereignty"
Will this be the first country to return to negative interest rates?
Child-free hotels spark controversy
North Korea is where this 95-year-old wants to die. South Korea won’t let him go. Is this our ally or a human rights enemy?
Hong Kong Launches Regulatory Regime and Trials for HKD-Backed Stablecoins
China rehearses September 3 Victory Day parade as imagery points to ‘loyal wingman’ FH-97 family presence
×