Beef Island airport closed

https://bvinews.com/airport-shuttered-due-to-staffing-issues/

Mercy.

This makes my heart hurt for the many travellers trying to get here today ! This place is indeed magical in most ways except the difficulty of the travel . Prayers everyone finds solutions to this nightmare .

Just checked and don't see any seats from SJU to STT today; not surprising for a holiday weekend and with schools closing. Wouldn't surprise me if ATCs can make more money in the US.

Way to go BVI Gov..lets shoot ourselves in both feet this time...think AA will still plan to fly here after this???

Exactly. So much for all of the chest-thumping of the recently-elected officials about all they're going to do to make things better...

Note that this was because ONE person didn't or couldn't show up for their scheduled shift....

Spoke to someone I know who opined it was a strike, and this news report states that to be the case: https://www.virginislandsnewsonline...ional-airport-closed-due-to-staff-strike

I wondered if it was kind of a 'blue flu' kind of situation.

We fly into San Juan in mid-June and have a connecting flight on IC into EIS. What's the feeling on the strike being resolved in the next three weeks? Does anyone have recommendations for a contingency plan to get us from San Juan to EIS if the strike is not resolved? Seems like my best option is to arrange a new connecting flight from SJU to STT, then plan on booking a ferry or private water taxi to RT.

this is wonderful....my kiddies are supposed to fly in to EIS on the 27th. Hopefully this is one "statement" issues where they just raise their hands as an "industrial action", yes that is what they call it.

I am on Tortola right now and can find no update this Sat am. I always fly into STT and ferry and if I had upcoming plans to fly into EIS I would immediately change them to STT and ferry. Even if they go back to work today ( and have friends hoping to leave thro EIS tomorrow) there is absolutely no guarantee they wont pull this stunt again with no notice. I 'd love to be a fly on the wall at the AA exec meetings discussing the wisdom of flying into EIS after this mess. If this continues I would hope the three ferry companies would up their schedules and take advantage of a big boost. The other part of this joke is they still want to expand the airport.....but cant make it run right now!

BVI govt. site says airport reopened at 7:00 am this morning.

Interesting…

https://bvi.gov.vg/media-centre/vi-airports-resume-normal-operations-may-27

Must say that a B$ press release if I ever I read one! I bet that meeting was not very cordial!.Just glad the airport has reopened..lets hope it stays that way! IN the meantime I'll stick to ferries.

Mal--yes, AA must be 'pondering' their decision to come to the BVI at this point. I hope there are no more closures like this.

As a pilot (small plane), I have flown into many large airport(ATL, Share) as well as many small ones. Some of the moderate size airports have control towers open some hours and are "uncontrolled" the remainder of the day.

Pilots are trained to communicate and coordinate their own arrivals and departures for these situations and looking at the average volume of flights going into and outbound from EIS(ie EIS is not a busy airport), I am surprised that the government shut down the airport vs continuing to operate without a control tower.

Again, the government seems to disappoint(airport closure) what should be a marketing boost (MIA to EIS flight).

Hopefully they get this rectified fast!

Remember the BVI airport is under British regulations.

Ratman,
I understand it is under British regulations and I admit that I am not familiar with specific British regulations. So I don't know if they require tower control at all airports.

I do wish BVI would make it more efficient and more enjoyable to get to BVI (such a the relentless scolding I see for visitors taking photos of Roadtown harbor or the terrible offense of crossing the yellow line at C& I.

I don’t specifically know British regulations but as a rule in the EU or the UK airline flights never operate under visual flight rules. They are under positive control all the time. I suspect that would preclude operations in the BVI. If they operate under US rules airlines can and do operate into airports without an operating tower. I have done it in a 289 seat A330! It would be a non issue with the volume of traffic at the EIS airport.

Thanks GeorgeC1 for the clarification. My home airport often had regionals landing and departing before or after tower operating hours, but that was in the USA.

The issues are BVI, whatever they are. Hopefully settled soon.