Business View Caribbean | July 2019

31 BUSINESS VIEW CARIBBEAN JULY 2019 of Parliament in 2006 with a mandate to make provisions for the ownership, control, management, and development of airports in Antigua and Barbuda. ABAA also manages the operations of Codrington Airport, which is located on Barbuda. Although Antigua and Barbuda are sister islands that share a single government, they were affected quite differently by Hurricane Irma in September 2017. The eye of the hurricane passed over Barbuda – devastating Codrington Airport along with most of the island. However, thanks to the diligence of countless helping hands and generous contributions, ABAA was able to put that airport back into operation in just a few weeks. In a fortunate twist of fate, VC Bird Airport was not significantly damaged by the storm because Antigua avoided a direct hit. As such, the island became a safe haven for residents and tourists evacuated from Barbuda. VCBIA had its own renaissance in 2015, after three years of construction. The current facility is 23,000 square meters in size with one 3,000-meter runway capable of accommodating jumbo airliners, as well as smaller aircraft. Currently on the agenda is repurposing the old terminal building. ABAA has developed a Terminal Reuse Plan to actually synchronize the old terminal with the new one; adding new administrative offices, a welcome center, and possibly a 50-room hotel. The old and new would become one terminal building, physically joined with a transition piece where there is now a gap. The redesign will incorporate construction standards for a Category-5 hurricane, with the structure maximized to withstand sustained winds of 150 miles per hour and gusts of 180. The project is in the concept stage – artists’ impressions and a footprint layout are complete. The next step is to start building out the VC B I RD INTERNAT IONAL A I RPORT