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NDP Gov’t spent $10.3M to lengthen airport runway; Where did the $$ go?
This information was revealed on the radio programme, Eye On the Future of the Nation, aired on ZBVI 780 AM on July 2, 2024.
Co-host of the show Dr Kedrick D. Pickering was at the time giving his reasons why the airport should be extended, when co-host Claude O. Skelton Cline asked him why is it the airport runway isn’t any longer.
When Dr Pickering failed to give an answer, Mr Skelton-Cline asked him if he could recall how much was invested in getting the airport runway extended during his tenure in government. “Do you recall the quantum?”
‘$10.3M or so’ spent by NDP
The former National Democratic Party (NDP) legislator responded, “Yeh, I prefer not to talk about it in such a short space of time,” as he glanced at the studio clock.
“$10.2M or so?” Skelton-Cline probed.
“$10.3M or so,” Dr Pickering said but did not elaborate on how the money was spent.
Guest of the show, Bishop John I. Cline attributed the failure of successive governments to “indecisiveness”.
The Virgin Islands Party (VIP) Government led by Premier and Minister of Finance Dr the Honourable Natalio D. Wheatley (R7) has committed itself to getting the runway extended once and for all.
Runway needs to be extended- Dr Pickering
And, according to Dr Pickering, a 500 feet extension to the runway would be sufficient.
“Right now the American Airlines flights cannot land at nights, cannot land when there is weather, cannot land when the runway is wet. Actually, when the runway is wet it cannot run because the runway is so short that the regulations will not allow it to do that.
“If you want to be technical about it, the aircraft cannot do what is called instrument landing. It can only land by eyesight, so if it starts to get dark, and I have had the experience where on two occasions when I was coming in from Miami and end up in San Juan, either because of weather or it was to too late for the flight to land in Beef Island.”
Dr Pickering argued that the second reason the airport runway needs to be extended is to accommodate more private jets.
“Part of the way the government and the [BVI] Airports Authority make revenue is by private jets. That is what drives the infrastructural development in your country, whether it’s in financial services or tourism, and right now commercial private jets cannot land at the airport for insurance reasons because it is not long enough. A mere extension of 500 feet to the airport allows NetJets, which is the largest privately owned commercial jets…” Dr Pickering added.
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26 Responses to “NDP Gov’t spent $10.3M to lengthen airport runway; Where did the $$ go?”
What a thing to talk.
Someone hand got greased along the line.
That's why most of those guys during that party are sitting well good so to speak.
Everytime the current ruling party plans are not accepted by the majority of the people, sometimes, even not, they attack the NDP to draw attention from its failures to govern the people of the BVI properly.
The former Premier of B.V.I is awaiting sentence for crime done, according to Miami Court Laws rules. The jury agreed.
The VIP, in my opinion, is guilty of greatly mismanaging our finances. When confronted about it stewardship, we the people have been lied to, and being lie to almost everytime. Who is more to be blamed. Is God our Creator deserved to be blamed? No, no, no, noooooo!
Is the devil and his demons to be blamed? Partly yes. Is the current Premier and his team deserved the blame? Partly yes. Is money to be blamed? No. Then who is or who are to be blamed? Then how can we get out of the turnado spin? Surely we can, but only by exercising genuine love for God our Creator and each others. Until then we will remain in the web of ignorance and suffering.
with the with the MESSAGE that we are sending to outer WORLD
None of it is about NEED. It is about WANT. The want to expand it so they then have to make more hotels and build more infrastructure so a few friends can get big contracts while the little guy just watches more of our islands turn to concrete that belongs to someone else.
Instead we need to learn how to make our actual blessing - nature - work for all of us, and our children and their children and theirs and so on.
THAT would be good government.
"A mere extension of 500 feet to the airport allows NetJets, which is the largest privately owned commercial jets…”
NetJets already flies regularly into Beef Island. Direct, non-stop flights to and from the entire eastern seaboard of the United States.