St. Vincent Argyle International on the Caribbean island of St Vincent and the Grenadines opened to commercial traffic this week after years of construction, delays and controversy. The first flight to arrive was a chartered Sunwing Airlines (WG, Toronto Pearson) B737-800 from Toronto Pearson. Other flights at the inaugural day were a LIAT (Antigua and Barbuda) (Antigua) inter-Caribbean scheduled flight, and a Dynamic International Airways (Greensboro Piedmont Triad International) charter, reports the Curacao Chronicle.
Construction of the XCD729 million (USD270 million) airport began in August 2008 and was due for completion in 2011, but has been hampered by geological obstructions and poor weather. According to the St. Vincent and Grenadines Tourism Authority, it is the largest capital project ever to be undertaken in the country. The completed facility is solar-powered and features a 2,743 x 45 metre primary runway 04/22 and a 15,886 square metre terminal. Its opening signalled the simultaneous closure of St. Vincent Argyle International. The new facility has a capacity of 1.5 million passengers per year, an increase of at least four times that of the old facility. It was partly financed by grants from Taiwan, Cuba, Venezuela, Trinidad and Tobago, Mexico, Austria, Malaysia, Turkey, Iran, Portugal, and Libya.
News site Travel Pulse notes that the project has received criticism with some saying that the island cannot sustain the potential increase in tourism. The largest resort is currently closed pending bankruptcy proceedings.
