Tortola Airport Shut Down Today?

Just heard all flights in and out are grounded. Can anyone verify?

Could be something, one flight diverted to SJU already, but the rest seem to still be on schedule. The diverted flight did an offshore holding pattern before heading into SJU (https://www.flightradar24.com/data/flights/aa3989#312d6c26)

https://www.flightradar24.com/data/airports/eis

Well, looks like something is going on: https://bvinews.com/tb-lettsome-airport-closed-again/

FERRY!!!! Now hearing the airport fire fighters have walked off on a "sickout" over vacation pay etc. Think AA is looking at this as a good business partnership now?

Good grief - and for reasons that I hope make sense, by having to be diverted to San Juan, those folks on that flight are really stuck unless they charter a plane to VIJ (assuming that airport is still open); had the plane been able to land in STT, at least they could have eventually gotten a ferry. This is the kind of experience that will make people who were on the way here for a vacation just absolutely never come back.

Looks like they have reopened.
https://bvinews.com/update-tb-lettsome-airport-reopens-after-abrupt-closure/

And how many folks waiting for the plane here at EIS have now missed all their connections out of San Juan? This is an ongoing embarrassment and just does one more thing to bludgeon our already damaged reputation.The sooner the Governent gets totally shaken out the better.

This is very concerning.

As @srayman67 and @fitzhughlaw mention, the travel to BVI has and continues to be a painful experience. Whether one flies into Beef or takes the ferry from STT, it's no fun. We are scheduled to fly in for our trip in Oct, but as with previous trips, we're always expecting issues of one kind or another. If we're not doing a sailing vacation, we don't even consider the BVI. It's a shame because it is beautiful even if not sailing. This year will be our sixth trip to the BVI and 34th to the Caribbean. Some islands are great for land vacations, with ease-of-travel being one reason why. We wish it wasn't so difficult, time consuming (or expensive) to get there. A problem like staff at the airport walking off the job isn't solved by a private charter, as you still can't land or take off.

Of course, now with the cruise ships, maybe the BVI don't think they need as many additional tourists.

I find it odd that the other 2 main BVI news outlets haven't even reported the airport shutdown. It is painful for me to read about these ongoing systemic issues in the BVI; but it does reinforce that my decision to vote with my feet/wallet was the right one.

Is it just me or has air travel in general seems to have gotten more difficult in recent years?....esp when connecting flights are part of the itinerary. On a return trip from EIS to SFO in April our flight from San Juan to MIA was cancelled after boarding was complete and we had to overnight in PR. Last December our connecting flight from Dallas to SFO was cancelled at the last minute and we had to overnight there. In early June an AA direct flight from EIS to MIA was diverted to West Palm Beach bc MIA was closed due to weather. A flight attendant who was on that flight told me they couldn't deplane at West Palm bc there are no C&I facilities there, so they sat on the ground for several hours until the weather in MIA cleared. Later in June AA cancelled the first leg of my daughter's DCA-MIA-EIS flight only hours before departure (note it was the DCA-MIA leg that was cancelled). AA was quick to rebook her to arrive 2 days late!! Thanks for nothing, AA. We scrambled and found her a Delta flight to STT instead....at great expense...but at least she arrived in time for our charter.

So, what's my point? Air travel is messy and frustrating no matter where you are travelling. And yes, the BVI gov and EIS airport have issues that need to be cured if they are serious about promoting tourism in the BVI.

(Side note: We took the new AA direct connection between MIA and EIS in June. It was perfect and made our trip from SFO sooo much nicer).

Husker, the industry is suffering from pilot shortages (especially the legacy carriers, such as AA and Delta which laid off 30% of their overall staff after 2020), and retired a lot of older planes. I'm not a big fan of this publication as a general rule, but this article in The Atlantic does a good job of summarizing the issues now plauging the industry. https://www.theatlantic.com/newsletters/archive/2022/06/summer-air-travel-flights-cancelled/661385/, including that Boeing doesn't have a bunch of 787s or 737s sitting in a warehouse waiting for a carrier to come in and buy one. Thus, there are years of delays attendant to purchasing an airliner, and add that to the fact that getting a job as a pilot for one of these planes requires at least 1,500 of flight time; the shortage of pilots and planes is going to persist for awhile. Interestingly enough, the article points out how a weather or staffing delay at any major city where an airline has a hub will have a ripple effect, and the cities you mentioned in your post would seem to buttress that point.

Having said all of that, with these inherent industry challenges, the BVI government is inexcusably making it worse to travel here because it just keeps doing stupid stuff.

Good points, Fitz. I'll check out the Atlantic article. Thanks for your post.

The airline problems are one thing..the problems at our airport, and with Customs and Immigration fall fullly on the shoulders of our so called government. We need to get our act together..whether it is from within or the UK steps in. This cannot continue like this..

If the government has yet to officially announce the reason for the recent closure it lends more credence to the "industrial action" rumours regarding the fire department. I'm sure that Mal agrees that "you can't make this up"! It is a public embarrassment and I fear that AA will pull out of the BVI sometime soon - and collect millions in fees/fines because the BVI has been shown to be unable to uphold their side of the agreement.

Zanshin--or anyone else--have there been any other stories in the papers about this incident, since the airport reopened? I kind of don't understand why there has been no official statement?

I've just checked all of the BVI outlets. There is an official admission for VG and Anegada that the closures are due to "issues" with the fire department; but absolute silence regarding Beef Island. Not that it helps, but Customs was going to do a "sick-out" today as well and a meeting this morning might have averted that. None of the signs are good...

Wow, not good.

Sad to me that even the media is now being censored. This is a big local story and any responsible outlet should report it..good or bad. I wonder what the BVI's are becoming.

Is that what is happening, Mal?

@Carol_Hill - this is not just an issue with public servant pay in the BVI. A friend of mine in the St. Maarten Police was telling me about officers now under IA investigation because they got caught doing illegal activities (bribes) - because their back-pay raises for the past 2 years haven't been paid out and they couldn't afford to feed their families or pay the rent. I'm sure that the BVI firefighters and Customs officials are in a similar situation and they see no alternative but to force the powers-that-be to react. I believe that the government, and not the strikers, are the root cause here.

#notgreat

https://bvinews.com/whats-the-real-issue-at-the-beef-island-airport/

Meahwhile, here is where the government is devoting more resources - a beauty pageant with four (4) contestants. You really can't make this stuff up... (and I really like the fact there's radio coverage that will be augmented by pay-per-view, which I'm sure will have a gold rush type of subscriber response):

‘Exorbitant expenses incurred’ to stage Miss BVI 2023 Pageant- VIF&FC
- Pay-per-view platform being done to help ‘generate a revenue stream’

ROAD TOWN, Tortola, VI- The Miss British Virgin Islands pageant slated for August 6, 2023, at the Multi-Purpose Sport Complex, will have a pay-per-view’ option.
The pay-per-view platform is to help generate revenue to cover expenses associated with staging the pageant, according to the Miss BVI Pageant Sub Committee of the Virgin Islands Festival and Fairs Committee (VIF&FC).

“Due to the exorbitant expenses incurred to ensure the pageant's success, the Committee is seeking ways to generate a revenue stream on the night of the pageant.

“As such, only ZBVI Radio will be allowed to provide live "radio" coverage of the pageant as the committee will be implementing a pay-per-view platform to generate additional soles,” a statement from the Pageant Sub Committee on July 18, 2023, stated.

Meanwhile, Chair of the Miss BVI Pageant Sub Committee Natalie O. Hodge clarified that while no video streaming of the pageant will be allowed, reporters and photographers attached to media houses will be allowed to cover the event.

General admission to the upcoming pageant is $40.00 and VIP seating is $65.00.

https://www.virginislandsnewsonline...red-to-stage-miss-bvi-2023-pageant-viffc

There is still no official word as to why the airport was shut down.
@Fitzhughlaw - I wonder whose brainchild that pay-per-view was. I'd be surprised if more than 10 people were to pay and sign in. Certainly no belongers, for that price they would just sneak into the venue.

Even better than the pay-per-view is a radio broadcast of a beauty pageant. I still can't get over that and I'd love to meet the MENSA member who thought of that....

You made my day. That is hilarious.

In a somewhat hilarious update to this saga, the $35 live stream "experienced technical difficulties" resulting in the stream being down for the first 40 minutes of the pagent

https://www.virginislandsnewsonline...iew-subscribers-to-miss-bvi-2023-pageant

VGR, I am shocked, shocked! I am hoping that someone who posts here attended in person, however, and paid for VIP seating. Let's hope for a full report soon......

I bet BOTH subscribers were pi$$ed off!