The Government of Anguilla recently embarked on a renovation effort to position the Clayton J. Lloyd International Airport to meet the needs and demands of an anticipated increase in air travel to and from Anguilla. In order to facilitate and accommodate the air traffic increases, as well as larger aircraft, major upgrades, expansions and renovations were needed at the Clayton J. Lloyd International Airport. Mr. Sherman Williams, CEO for Anguilla’s Air and Sea Port Authority (ASPA), explained that: “Due to Covid, the Blowing Point port is no longer the mainstay when it comes to passenger movement [into and out of Anguilla]. [As a result], we have placed a lot of emphasis on how we have persons traverse the aerodrome. And so, a lot of infrastructural work is happening [at the airport] during this downtime.”
Several small, local aircraft – Anguilla Air Service, Trans Anguilla, Anguilla Air Express – as well as small private jets currently use Anguilla’s runway and terminal facilities. Soon, Anguillians can look forward to the sights and sounds of additional aircraft such as Cape Air, Sky High and Trade Winds Aviation. Additionally, 2 larger aircrafts – American Airlines and Aurora Anguilla Airlines – are expected to soar through the skies and rumble down the runway. This dramatic increase in airlift is expected at the Clayton J. Lloyd International Airport in just a few weeks, as American Airlines and Aurora Anguilla Airlines, commence direct flights between Anguilla and the United States mainland, in mid-December 2021.
The Honourable Minister of Infrastructure, Communication, Utilities, Housing and Tourism, Mr. Haydn Hughes, said: “For the first time in its history, there will be commercial transatlantic flights coming directly to Anguilla.” In order to accommodate these additional aircraft, handle future passenger growth, and improve the overall customer experience, “additional desk space in the ticketing hall, and seating in the waiting area, [will be included as part of the airport renovations]”, Mr. Williams added.
Mr. Williams also stated that, there are plans to improve the health section of the airport, to make it more comfortable for passengers. He said that there is a build-out of about 400+ additional square feet of space that will be used as the waiting and testing area for arriving passengers.
He mentioned that Mr. Hughes had made “sharp predictions based on bookings for December with American Airlines: two flights per week from December 11th, with an increase to three flights per week from January 5th. Bookings are very strong with about 60 on entry and 50 on departure.” He also indicated that the busiest time at the airport is expected to be on Saturdays, as that is when American Airlines, Cape Air, Sky High, Aurora Anguilla Airlines, Trade Wind Aviation, private jets, and local aircraft, would all be using the airport facilities. “We will need all of the human resources and the cooperation of the other stakeholders to make this possible”, Mr. Williams concluded.
Mr. Williams also indicated that, “the Ministry had done some drills or ‘time trials’ just to ensure that persons are not waiting in any area for too long. Training for ASPA, immigration officials and other airport workers has already begun in order to facilitate a ‘seamless movement of passengers in and out’ of [the airport] to their travel destinations.”
He continued: “American is bringing persons to train, not only ASPA, but also the FBO, and we have opted to have persons become ‘trainer of trainers’ so that they can become certified to train others as they come on stream, and are employed in that employment loop.” He stated that: “The aim is not to have persons come on island to live and work, but to have the local persons train up so that they can train other persons who are here locally.”
