The Terrance B. Lettsome International Airport on Beef Island, British Virgin Islands Photo Credit: ANGELA BURNS/VI CONSORTIUM
THE BRITISH VIRIGN ISLANDS — Airlines are using the Terrance B. Lettsome International Airport on Beef Island in the British Virgin Islands as a transit hub with increasing frequency and government has taken steps to improve the quality of service to these passengers.
On February 1, 2020, the British Virgin Islands Airports Authority (BVIAA) will be launching its In-Transit Lounge for air passengers who are transiting through the airport to catch connecting flights to their final destination in other countries.
The BVIAA has retrofitted an area inside the terminal to be used for that purpose.
Premier and Minister of Finance Andrew Fahie said this initiative will impact positively on the experience of transiting passengers, as airline operators are already indicating.
He said the facility will increase the revenue generation capacity of the assets under BVIAA management as a $10 levy will be charged to transiting passengers.
“What is even more commendable is that the current board and management have been able to achieve this simply by repurposing a space that was previously underutilized and conducting some renovations to the space to outfit it for this purpose,” Mr. Fahie said.
The leader of the British Virgin Islands Party (VIP), which won a landslide victory almost one year ago on February 25, 2019, said this is a classic example of making maximum use of what is already in existence.
“In order for us to achieve our territory’s vision of transforming the BVI into a leading regional economy by 2025 through innovation, entrepreneurship and local and foreign investment, we must have world-class air travel facilities and services,” he stated. “Thus, with each step the BVIAA takes towards improving capacity and service quality, we move closer to making our vision a reality.”
Mr. Fahie said as the profile of the British Virgin Islands is raised as a leading economy, as a place to do business and to hold meetings, seminars, training and conferences, and as a preferred air transport hub, the opportunities increase for persons involved in supporting businesses such as bed and breakfast, food and catering, restaurants and bars, taxi drivers, and tour operators, to increase their earnings.
