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Engage UK partners for scaled-down approach to airport expansion— Skelton-Cline

Pastor Claude O. Skelton-Cline, has called for a streamlined, UK-partnered approach to the Terrance B. Lettsome International Airport expansion project during his popular Honestly Speaking radio broadcast on May 12, 2025. Photo: Facebook
The government of the Virgin Islands intend to expand the T.B Lettsome International Airport. Photo: VINO/File
The government of the Virgin Islands intend to expand the T.B Lettsome International Airport. Photo: VINO/File
BAUGHERS BAY, Tortola, VI— Well-known commentator and social advocate Pastor Claude O. Skelton-Cline has called for a streamlined, United Kingdom-partnered approach to the Terrance B. Lettsome International Airport expansion project.

Reacting to recent parliamentary discussions and the financial scale of the proposed works—rumoured to be upwards of $400 million—Skelton-Cline called for realism, pragmatism, and national interest to take precedence over lofty ambitions and unproductive bureaucracy.

Competitive UK Firm 

Prefacing his arguments, he told the listening audience on his Honestly Speaking radio broadcast on May 12, 2025, “I listened carefully to the Minister for the Airport Authority, among other things, make his presentation in the House of Assembly; When the powers that be tell you that something costs $400 million, $450 million, $500 million, you know first of all, even if you're using somebody else's money, that you may not want to do that or do it that way.”

Instead, he urged the Virgin Islands government to take a more measured, incremental route. “Let me offer a suggestion I'm sure others have offered; It may be the case that $190 million, $200 million at best, for the rest of the runway. Let's start with that. Let's bite that off.”

Skelton-Cline was clear that such a shift in approach would likely require engagement with British financial oversight mechanisms.

To this end, he advocated strenuously for a “streamlined request for proposal project,” explicitly encouraging the government to invite a competitive UK firm to submit a bid “that you cannot refuse.” 

Dialogue with the Governor- Skelton-Cline

Explaining his rationale further, Skelton-Cline pointed to both national necessity and constitutional reality, since the VI is in this "almost unusual and unholy alliance" with the United Kingdom, and has to work with them, particularly on matters of financial implication.

As such, “The reason why I am suggesting that you might want to get a UK firm, investors who are prepared to spend that kind of money, is because there must be pragmatism in service to principle.”

He posited further that, “For national security reasons, we need better government. We need our locals to be full participants in the development of that process. We need our people working. We need quarries working. We need concrete trucks working. We need our stones filling in oceans....We need our EPA people. We need everybody working. Pragmatism in service to principle.”

To this end, he said the VI will need the UK's approval, and it was prudent for the government to have dialogue with with the Governor who represents the United Kingdom's interests, "and formulate a way in which this can be fast-tracked, commenced and completed, with a reasonable figure, with concessions that make sense.”

14 Responses to “Engage UK partners for scaled-down approach to airport expansion— Skelton-Cline”

  • Well said (15/05/2025, 13:06) Like (5) Dislike (0) Reply
    SC talking the truth. no way this gonna happen minus the UK blessing.
  • resident (15/05/2025, 13:20) Like (5) Dislike (0) Reply
    "We need our stones filling in oceans" - a true environmentalist, CSC!
  • ? (15/05/2025, 14:22) Like (7) Dislike (0) Reply
    When did this guy become an expert in airport design and construction all of a sudden? Has he any experience in this very specialized field?
  • Marty Probasco (15/05/2025, 15:29) Like (7) Dislike (2) Reply
    The airport does not need to be extended at this time. What is the rush reason t do that?
    • Agree (16/05/2025, 03:29) Like (1) Dislike (1) Reply
      Sort out the infrastructure first, invest in first class five star hotel and resort development, invest in first class restaurants and other tourist amenities so that the so called “land based tourism” actually exists in the volumes needed to justify the airport expansion. Horse before cart.
  • Blind Man (15/05/2025, 16:15) Like (3) Dislike (5) Reply
    The bvi has reached the stage where it must put forward legal arguments on our colonial status which is a violation of our human rights!!!
  • BuzzBvi (15/05/2025, 17:59) Like (7) Dislike (0) Reply
    All the Vi think about. Filling the ocean with stones. Always looking for free land.
  • Wisdom. (15/05/2025, 20:57) Like (1) Dislike (0) Reply
    Don't fight the Lion, find away to calm the Lion..A fight with the Lion is not good.
  • Arrion (15/05/2025, 22:16) Like (2) Dislike (1) Reply
    We need to bring in Japan. They are constantly building the right way in their country. Hodges Creek road work that has taken 100 years would have been done already months ago. The contractors who have this job don't know what they are doing. We are miserable going over Ridge Road every day, and the road is now being broken down too.
  • Fnaf (16/05/2025, 03:20) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
    Interesting to see Pastor Skelton-Cline advocate for a UK partnership in the airport expansion. Streamlining the process is key, much like strategizing your next move in a complex game. Hopefully, they won't encounter any unexpected scares lurking in the shadows during this project, no Fnaf style surprises. Effective planning is crucial for success.

  • Stealth (16/05/2025, 08:38) Like (4) Dislike (0) Reply
    Whoa Nelly! One capital project costing/equating to the national O&M budget. Is this madness? Can the VI afford this heavy lift? Is $400M the lowest option cost? Do any major capital project in the BVI ever completed on time, cone in under budget , etc? Is this $400M the government estimate and if so why was it release before the bidding process is completed? What is the down side of releasing government estimate (GE) before the bidding concludes? As sure as the sun rises in the east and sets in the west, the bids would closely approach the GE; no one wants to leave any money on the table. Can the government/taxpayers afford the amortization payment of a $400M+ loan, given its myriad of other needs? How did STT, SXM, get their air and landside airport infrastructure upgraded? Would a PPV be a better option. However, this would require turning over airport ops to a
    Company for 30 plus years. We can’t have our cake and eat it too; something has to give? Residents are advocating for expanding the TBLIA to accommodate direct flights from major markets, but are they willing to pay a sunset tax/fee to assist covering the cost? Probably not..
  • @Stealth (16/05/2025, 09:49) Like (3) Dislike (0) Reply
    Spot on. To that, I’d add, STT airport got Federal funding. I’d also emphasize that no major publicly funded project in the BVIs has ever been done on time or budget. Peebles original bid was $ 62 million, and ended up north of $ 100 million. Pier Park’s original engineering estimate was $50 million and ended up at $ 85 million, including the missing $10 million in “soft costs” that was never recovered. The fill estimates for the expansion some 10-15 years ago was about $ 500 million. That’s about $ 750 million factoring inflation alone. So the true cost once it’s all said and done will be more than $ 1 billion, especially since construction will take 5+ years. Where is this money coming from? Sure, a PPV could work, not that the govt could offer much cash, but there is the aforementioned issue of past poor performance, which means greater risk, and hence greater expectation of return on investment. That on an airport that at best might average 2-300 pax/day (there is the issue if where this number of daily arrivals would be housed-different proeblem) during tourist season. Would that be able to generate $ 7 million/month in returns for a $ 1 billion investment (what you could get if you earned 6% on $ 1 billion). I’m all for the airport project, if it can be made to make business sense, but it does not appear that way based on the above. As Stealth points out, airport expansion costs are same as if not more than the GDP. No way the UK would spend jBasically, BVIs can’t afford this. Better to take the
  • Detroiter (16/05/2025, 14:41) Like (2) Dislike (0) Reply
    A direct flight to Detroit, one way
  • stones (16/05/2025, 20:27) Like (2) Dislike (0) Reply
    More stones in the water!
    So we can have more concrete on the ground!
    And more sewage in the sea!
    And more cars on the road!
    And more trash from all the more people!
    We need DEAD REEFS and NO FISH! No trees and no wilderness.
    Forget the future generations. We need to DESTROY the BVI so a few people can make EVEN MORE money, now!
    Who will get rich from this is already rich. We know this.
    We have a sickness. An anti Nature sickness. A Mammon money sickness.
    We need to be better.


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