UK regulator ASSI blasted for ‘tone-deaf, heavy-handed’ airport restrictions
The accusation was levelled against ASSI on April 30, 2025, during the Honestly Speaking programme on ZBVI 780 AM, by radio personality and social commentator Pastor Claude O. Skelton-Cline.
Own Civil Aviation Authority
According to Skelton-Cline, the regulatory body—responsible for overseeing civil aviation safety in British Overseas Territories—has, among other instituted measures mandated sweeping access restrictions, at the Terrance B. Lettsome International Airport.
“ASSI have now mandated, or even threatened maybe, that the airport could be closed if they don't move the people of the country away from being able to drive in to the airport, where we regularly drop off and pick up.”
The radio host explained that the new regulation would effectively prohibit the general public from suitable access at the airport’s terminal.
“Except for maybe some police cars and a couple dignitaries, you're not going to be able to drive up where you drive anymore after this month,” he warned. Instead, passengers will be required to park at a distance and walk to the terminal, “in the rain, in the sun, and or whatever. No consideration for the disabled person, no consideration of what this does to our budget, none of that.”
'We don't have the same threats'
Skelton-Cline vehemently challenged the justification being floated by the authorities—namely, bomb threats. “In my whole entire natural born life, and in the life of the Virgin Islands, I ain't never heard of no bomb threat of any kind in the Virgin Islands,” he asserted, highlighting the apparent disconnect between the threat level in the VI and that in global metropolises.
“We don't have the same threats that you have at Heathrow or Miami or New York. It's not the same.”
As such, he argued that the changes reflect a larger issue of external imposition. “This is another example of us just being forced to do things without proper consideration for the local cultural specificities of us as a people. Just do it to them, and if you don't do it, we're going to threaten you to shut your airport down.”
Suggesting a path forward, he advocated the establishment of a locally governed civil aviation body. “How do you get rid of ASSI? Well, you get rid of ASSI by instituting your own Civil Aviation Authority,” he said, calling for “resourcing, funding, putting a mechanism in place, a process in place” to achieve aviation regulatory independence.
Further questioning the rationale behind the machinations, he reported that the local airport authorities in presenting viable alternatives, said: “Claude, if the airport authority had done an aeronautical study to present to ASSI and the governor an alternative that makes sense, it may have shown that there was not a need to make this drastic move and then increase the footprint of the budget.”
See related article below:
ASSI security audit calls for restricting public vehicular traffic to airport terminal
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18 Responses to “UK regulator ASSI blasted for ‘tone-deaf, heavy-handed’ airport restrictions”
So for the people that are reading this article all over the globe please forgive his ignorance. Why should we wait until there are bomb threats before putting measures in place?
SMH
There is curbside check in in Miami, New York, Las Vegas etc etc. Stop with the BS please.
I will say that it does make clear sense that cars not be alowed to park close to the terminal and it wouldn't take much to make a covered walk way from the carpark to the terminal. What's all the fuss about. If we as a nation want to take advantage of direct flights to and from the mainland USA we must keep up with the security requirements. We should not be exempt just because we feel that we are a nation of little threat and that our " rights are being violated.". get on board or get off the train. Comply or don't. Why is it we always feel hard done by and resort to blaming colonialism when this is simply complying with international requirments to enable US as a nation to take advantage of direct mainland flights... ...
And for the record CSC.. bvi have had bomb threats in the past..schools government building and I believe the airport..but wait, you weren't living here for so long, you wouldn't know these facts would you.
Our leaders better stop the EFF! Enough is Enough now man!