Antigua Seeks Clearance to Activate $10M Radar System
The government of Antigua and Barbuda is seeking formal authorization from Trinidad and Tobago to activate a $10 million radar system that has remained idle for years, Prime Minister Gaston Browne said.
Speaking during an ABS interview, Browne revealed that despite significant investment in establishing the radar infrastructure locally, Antigua and Barbuda requires approval from Trinidad’s air traffic control authority before it can begin operating the system.
“We spent over $10 million establishing a radar here, but we have to get permission from them,” Browne said, referring to Trinidad’s aviation authorities.
He indicated that the delay has persisted for two to three years, with repeated follow-ups yielding no formal response.
“For some reason, for about two, three years now, they just keep kicking the can down the road,” Browne said.
The radar system would operate at a lower altitude level and is intended to strengthen the country’s aviation oversight and safety capabilities. Browne noted that Antigua and Barbuda has already trained air traffic control officers to manage the system.
However, he warned that prolonged delays could result in additional costs if those officers must be retrained.
“We have trained air traffic control officers who, if they don’t get to perform using the radar, they will have to go and be retrained again, and it’s very expensive to send them to Europe to get them trained,” he said.
Browne said he raised the issue during bilateral talks with Trinidad and Tobago Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar, appealing for her intervention to resolve the matter.
“There is absolutely no legal or moral reason why it should not have been done,” Browne added.
The radar activation is viewed as a key step in enhancing Antigua and Barbuda’s airspace monitoring and aviation infrastructure.
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