Aging Runway at St. Thomas Airport Faces Frequent Failures, Full Overhaul Planned for June 2025

The runway at the Cyril E King Airport on St. Thomas, constructed in 1990, has far exceeded its lifespan of ten to fifteen years, resulting in “regular incidents of runway pavement failure,” according to Carlton Dowe, executive director of the V.I. Port Authority.  Mr. Dowe testified before the Committee on Economic Development and Agriculture on Wednesday, with many of the updates mirroring information shared by VIPA during a meeting of the Committee on Budget, Appropriations, and Finance on October 31, 2024.  New this week, however, was information that the aged airport runway is “experiencing regular pavement failures” and “frequent emergency repairs are required to ensure the safety of all travelers.” He lamented that the need for emergency repairs “requires us to shut down CEKA’s only runway, resulting in the diversion of flights to nearby airports and delays for all incoming and outgoing flights.”  Mr. Dowe remarked that while other airports have multiple runways that can be u...