Above: the new terminal (Photo: Erasmus Williams)

The fixed-base operator terminal, which will be operated by Leeward Flight Services, will include a lounge for commercial and private passengers.

“An FBO adds value to the high-end and business traffic. As St Kitts is attracting more high-end hotels like the Park Hyatt, Kittitian Hill, Christophe Harbour and other upcoming prestigious projects, you will find more and more business people and business jets coming in,” said Uday Nyak, chairman of Leeward Flight Services. “When these types of jets and passengers come in, they expect a different type of service and this is what Leeward Flying Services can provide. We give them a service that they are accustomed to back home.”

Nyak said people who travel to St Maarten or St Barth would also now be able to land in St Kitts at the terminal, which can handled up to 50 people at any one time, including 30 in the main lounge.

The private jet terminal will have its own offices for immigrations and customs.

“We have fibre-optic links installed between our terminal and the main airport and we are fully wired up,” he said. “All passengers will go through the normal immigration and customs processes. The only difference is that the immigration documents will be handled by our staff while the passengers will be sitting instead of standing in line.”

The company is looking to hire between 15 and 20 people to work on its team.