More Questions Than Answers

The meeting late last week among hoteliers, other stakeholders in the tourism industry and two top level officials of American Airlines at Paradise Cove resulted in more questions than answers. They met to discuss the planned withdrawal of the American Eagle from Anguilla on December 31 this year and the interim period during which work will be carried out on the expansion of Wallblake Airport. Originally, we heard that the project should be completed by September of that year and then that date was brought forward to March.

The fact is that although there is much talk about the project, it appears that its overall financing is still being sorted out and for some reason it has been stated that work cannot commence before September this year. A large Government delegation will be in London next week for talks with British officials on some of the remaining thorny issues surrounding the project which is intended to accommodate larger aircraft and improved facilities. Considering the scope of the project and the question of compensation to property owners, it will be a costly affair but these days everything is highly priced. It is just a matter of having the money to do what is required.
What is worrying all the stakeholders, in the tourism industry is just what will happen if and when the American Eagle withdraws its service and the airport is not completed. The airline officials are pressing the Government for a date in writing as to when the expansion work will be finished so that they could negotiate with the buyers of the ATR-42 airplanes they are taking out of service in preparation for the introduction of the ATR-72s. Can the airport really be finished by March 2004 –six months after its commencement? The airline officials said they would be prepared to hold on for three or four months and possibly to June 1. Someone at the meeting went further to ask for a commitment up to August.

Some pressure was put on the airline officials at the meeting to “gamble with Anguilla” in view of the profits the Eagle made over the years. One of the options was for the introduction of an American Airlines service from New York to St. Maarten for Anguilla-bound passengers, but the airline personnel argued it would not be a profitable undertaking and that Anguilla would have to share in the risks. Another suggestion was for the airline to have some small turbo aircraft flying into the island during the interim. The meeting was inconclusive and left more questions than answers in the air. One thing seems hopeful. The airline personnel asked for a date by which the airport might be completed and they appeared to be inclined to wait a while. We hope that the discussions in London by the Anguilla delegation will help to arrive at that date.