A six-million US-dollar FBO Terminal is under construction just across to the north of the middle section of the Clayton J. Lloyd International Airport in Anguilla. It is a project of Lloyd’s Aviation Services aimed at meeting the needs of high-end aircraft and passenger travel arriving and departing the island.
FBO, (Fixed-Base Operator), refers to an organisation, such as Lloyd’s Aviation Services, which has been granted permission to operate and provide support aeronautical services including fuelling, tie-down, parking of aircraft and passenger handling. Lloyd’s Aviation Services (LAS), whose CEO is Mr. David Lloyd.
Mr. Lloyd is a qualified commercial aircraft pilot with Airline Transport Pilot (ATP) Rating. He has been the Fixed-based Operator in Anguilla since in 2004. LAS his company has been the Fixed-based Operator in Anguilla since around 2004. It handles private executive jets flying in from the United States, Europe, UK and elsewhere, attracting much excitement on the island; boosting the tourism industry and bringing the rich and famous to Anguilla.
While Mr. Lloyd made the point that the FBO Terminal will be available to anyone or aircraft coming to the island, the service will be mainly for private executive jets flying to destination Anguilla The terminal will also serve passengers transiting to St. Barths.
“This is going to be the new FBO Terminal, a facility used to accommodate incoming and outgoing corporate jet passengers, “ Mr. Lloyd told The Anguillian newspaper. “It will have TSA-approved Customs and Immigration facilities to make the entry and departure process a lot smoother and easier. When you are catering for that kind of clientele, they are accustomed to facilities like this. We are therefore positioning ourselves to the same level of service that is expected of first class FBO Operators.
In addition to Customs and Immigration services, Mr. Lloyd said: “We will basically take care of all the needs of the private aircraft coming in. Whatever they request, we will arrange to provide. The first floor of the two-storey FBO building will include Customs and Immigration, catering and storage services, the front desk and security. The second floor will be for administrative purpose, including ground-handling, clearance, flight planning; and an additional passenger lounge.
Asked when he thought the facility would be completed, Mr. Lloyd said probably mid-next year. “It may be before that, but this would give me a little flexibility,” he reflected. “However, we will have a significant part of the project completed by the end of this year.
“We are looking probably at a building costing at around six million US dollars; and, at the end of the day, we are looking at a building of about twenty thousand-plus square-feet.”
Mr. Lloyd added: “We are doing the necessary marketing for the facility and will be attending various tradeshows and other gatherings of that nature to promote the improved FBO facility.”
The upcoming FBO building will obviously be a magnificent showpiece and a national fixture. The clusters of executive jets, parked in the foreground, will give much prominence to luxury and direct travel to Anguilla.
