Airport Management Continues To Fall Apart
By Aviator
Upheavals in the management of Antigua’s V.C.Bird International Airport continue in the wake of the sensational departure of the CEO, in a finger-pointing open feud with the P. M. over control of a U.S. $100mm loan.
The next person chosen as CEO was placed in an acting position, only to be forced to absent himself from the job while the investigation into his violations was completed.
Meanwhile, the third acting CEO in one month stood in Court refusing to speak in his own defence, but getting the report on his violations by the Commissioner of Police excluded from the eyes of the Court.
One wonders where is the Minister of Aviation in all of this chaos, in an industry tightly controlled by rules, regulations, and transparency, and which requires gateway oversight. Antigua is a final gateway to destinations in America and Europe, and recently a non-stop to Saudi Arabia, and has responsibility for maintaining specific standards, training and certification.
Under the management of the three CEO’s acting in their various capacities in Administration, Safety & Security, airport Human Resources have been devalued in number and certification, causing the once 24-hour airport to early closing, and raggedy around the edges generally.
Airports are expected to create a balanced, certified, and alert workplace; constant maintenance of buildings, runways and ramps is imperative in creating a risk-controlled zone.
The Minister has been given the opportunity to update and properly staff the administration of the airport with qualified and certified airport management personnel as expected of an important gateway, and historically a leader in aviation growth in the Caribbean.
The pressure is on for the Aviation Minister to rouse himself, and share his energies properly between Tourism and Aviation.
The time has come for the Minister of Aviation to either grapple with the opportunity to reorganize his Ministry and make it work efficiently, or give it up.
Further, the US $100mm loan which was being negotiated with Credit Suisse may have been placed in jeopardy by exposure that only US $10mm would go to the airport, with the balance going to ‘other’ government projects.
It is understood that the plans to develop the airport further are now shelved except for urgent Aviation demands, in a functioning Ministry.
Advertise with the mоѕt vіѕіtеd nеwѕ ѕіtе іn Antigua!
We offer fully customizable and flexible digital marketing packages.
Contact us at [email protected]
Sounds like our Airport management is a total Pappyshow. Where is Gaston Browne to call out this incompetence? Listen, these people just need to vacate government. They are not serious. We can’t do much worse as a country. Let’s vote them out ASAP.
@Gaston the Crook
How is Gaston going to call out incompetence when he is most likely the cause of it? He is the minister of finance after all. He controls the purse, and his people have to do what he tells them. He is the big boss.
Word on the street is that over $40mill is missing from Housing. Is this true and is the Minister of Housing going to let the Antiguan people know? Question to the PM by the opposition.
What exactly is going on here??
Such incompetence?
You get a government you deserve?
Poor antigua 🇦🇬😢😞
I’m sad for my country!
Pretty soon we gonna loose our international status..
Visitors going to need to fly into st.kitts and take a small plane to antigua. Mark my words!!
WHAT YOU WANT IS WHAT YOU GET. THIS IS WHAT YOU VOTED FOR, SO SEE YOU IN 5 YEARS WHEN THEY WILL FOOL YOU AGAIN TO VOTE FOR THEM. XXXX
Please, please folks our leader is in Saudi Arabia negotiating for us to become an economic powerhouse.
What’s happening back home is the work of and Con Man.
The Minister of Aviation is in name only. He is a stooge of Gaston Browne: the lying narcissistic and admitted sociopath.
Poor Max has been reduced to the level of a Senator, waiting for his turn to talk when given permission by Gaston his master.
@Sandra Clark
You asked what’s going on here ?
These are the things that take place in Babara Republics.
Banana Republics do not have an independent judiciary and independent media, or transparent government.
We given a meaningless Budget Speech once per year. No media to dig into the details and question the numbers or monitor spending.
It’s an exercise given by the British high little meaning to reality. The political class takes their cut and
The rich preys on the poor.
The poor cries out for help and they are thrown chicken feed, and propaganda to tide them over.
That’s what going on here.
The airport is falling apart bcos of a dictation PM who wants everything his way or get out his way
He implied that the former CEO was stealing monies then she say no …. It was a difference of opinions on how to better utilized the loan $ 100 million you really thought Gaston was gonna not Tek his off the top……
The minister in charge is a BITCH with no balls or backbone ….. NOBODY STANDING UP TO GASTON JUS MUMBLING BEHIND HIS BACK
Credit Suisse was acquired by UBS earlier in 2023. Please explain this one.
How can this be $100 million being borrowed from a bank that no longer exists?
How can Antigua borrow $100 million for the purposes of an executing a masterplan that the tax payers know nothing about.
These are the kind of things that bring about coup de tat especially when the string man is out of the Country.
The media has to be with the people; and we have no independent media. Worse the opposition parties
has no clue. The army is worse; just a bunch of lazy dunce.
You are right, the opposition has no clue and the majority of Antiguan people and foreigners brought into the country are docile and struggling to put food on their tables. Smart, intelligent people and professionals stay away from Antigua politics as they want no part of the gutter politics and having their reputations destroyed on rum shop radio. Gaston is therefore allowed to do as he pleases and be accountable to no one. Even his ministers stay silent as they are all corrupt. How will Antigua ever get out of this state of affairs? Not easy when the PM can collude with people to steal elections and talk about it openly on his radio station.
Comments are closed.