The Board of Directors of the BVI Airports Authority (the Authority) is on the move and commits to partnering with key stakeholders and including all sister islands in airport development.  The Board held its first board meeting of 2023 on the beautiful sister island of Virgin Gorda on January 26, 2023 at the Village Café.  This was followed by an official tour of the airport facility and individual meetings with stakeholders.  This is believed to be the first time that the Authority’s Board ever hosted an official Meeting of the Board of Directors on another island.

According to the Board’s Chairman, Mr. Theodore Burke “an official Board Meeting on Virgin Gorda is not only historic and highlights the board’s commitment of inclusion, but also provides an opportunity for the Board to interact with our team members on the island and identify with airport infrastructure and its surroundings.  He added that “the Board has a vision to transform and modernise the system of airports within the Territory utilising our current infrastructure and to be successful in this venture, it is necessary to form partnerships and bonds with all key stakeholders along with the BVI Tourist Board.

Managing Director Mr. Kurt Menal stated that “as the BVI Airports Authority continue to work assiduously with key personnel in a quest to increase air access to and through the Territory, we must also work simultaneously on improving and enhancing the level of services currently offered at our airports. 

As the Authority falls under the portfolio of the Ministry of Communications and Works, the Permanent Secretary within the Ministry serves as an Ex-Officio Member on the Board.  The Ministry’s representative took the opportunity to remind the Board of Directors of the Ministry’s commitment to support the Board and the Authority in its quest to enhance and improve the system of airports within the Territory.

The Board had the opportunity to meet and interact with representatives from various sectors of the tourism industry while on Virgin Gorda including representatives from luxury hotels, villas and tourism experience curation.  The representatives were able to share their vision on enhancing the air service delivery on Virgin Gorda and seamlessly connecting the airport on the island to the main airport on Beef Island.

A representative on behalf of the stakeholders in thanking the Board of the Directors for the opportunity said “we are indeed elated that the Board of Directors have seen it fit to reach out to key stakeholders on Virgin Gorda and receive valuable feedback which will prove to aid in better decision making as we partner to take our airport and service offerings to the next level.  The representative added “I have no doubt that the partnerships being form with the Authority is just the beginning of greatness as we will endeavour to support the airport in other tangible ways such as the training of its employees where necessary.

The BVI Airports Authority has also recently engaged a contractor for the development of a strategic plan which would guide the Authority’s growth and expansion for the next 5 years.  This plan will prove to support the vision of the Board of Directors - ensuring that the Authority satisfies its vision, its goal and emerge as the regional leader in aviation.  As part of the strategic plan’s development, the Board of Directors, the executive management team, employees at all levels and airport stakeholders will be engaged to ensure that the plan will be a living document that can be seamlessly implemented.

The Vision of the BVI Airports Authority is to develop and maintain world class airports which provide safe and efficient gateways to the world and entrances to the Virgin Islands.