The Virgin Gorda Airport and the Captain Auguste George Airport on Anegada are expected to have facilities in early 2024 to house the fire trucks on the two sister islands.
The Managing Director of the BVI Airports Authority (BVIAA) Mr. Kurt Menal confirmed the news in an interview with 284 Media on Tuesday.
This was after the Anegada airport was forced to close following the transfer of its lone fire truck to the Virgin Gorda to accommodate for the absence of the fire truck at Virgin Gorda Airport which is out of commission and awaiting replacement parts.
Menal said the Airports Authority is fully aware of the dangers that exist with having the fire tenders exposed to the elements of the environment without protection barriers in place and that plans are in place to address those issues.
Menal also explained why the decision was made to have the lone fire tender at the Anegada airport temporarily moved to Virgin Gorda.
He said 24 flights were scheduled for the Virgin Gorda Airport over the weekend which was a stark contrast when compared to Anegada’s airport which had no scheduled flights.
The BVIAA’s main concern was to have medical evacuation services available to Anegada during the closure of the airport, an objective that was achieved after applying for and getting approval from the Air Safety Support International (ASSI) organization.
The airports boss also revealed that mould was a previous issue affecting the operation of the Anegada airport but said it has been treated following an assessment.
He said there is still the need to have measures taken to further address the issue of mould and to eventually have the building expanded to better accommodate the staff and travellers.