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The first commercial plane, a LIAT20 ATR glided on the 6,100-foot runway on Thursday morning, landing the first group of passengers and crew that would pass through the international airport on Barbuda.

There was resounding cheer from onlookers, mainly government officials and labour party supporters who longed to see the facility open after at least seven years of construction and confusion. So, there is no doubt that October 3, 2024 was a very ambivalent day when the government of Antigua and Barbuda formally opened the Burton-Nibbs International Airport on the sister island.

The airport has been a divisive issue from the start. While the Antigua and Barbuda government views it as crucial for transforming Barbuda into a modern tourism hub, the project has faced legal challenges. In February 2024, the Privy Council ruled that the government must answer allegations that the construction damaged critical wildlife habitats and violated public consultation requirements. The court case, brought forward by two Barbudans, is set to continue in November 2024.

Despite the ongoing litigation, the labour party government proceeded with the airport’s official opening, hours after closing the old Codrington facility, which had served since 1962. However, the Barbuda People’s Movement (BPM)-led Council, the island’s local government, boycotted the event. Council Chairman Devon Warner expressed frustration that they had been excluded from the decision-making process.

Prime Minister Gaston Browne, during the opening ceremony, criticized the council’s absence, accusing them of obstructing development. “Instead of joining us in unity, they chose to boycott,” he said. “The airport has been built, and if they are trying to undo it, what’s the plan? Rip up $50 million worth of investments?”

He also accused them of squandering the governance of the country after being at the helm of its development for decades.

The Council members are not the only players against the construction process. The Barbuda Land Rights & Resources Committee (BLRRC), a community-based, non-profit organization concerned with matters relating to land and resources and the land rights of Barbudans, reminded the government this week that the airport construction is still the subject of court proceedings.

With a runway significantly longer and wider than Codrington’s 1,640-foot strip, Burton-Nibs International can now accommodate larger aircraft, including private jets and planes like the Embraer E-170. The facility also boasts a modern Fixed Base Operator (FBO) terminal developed by PLH (Peace, Love and Happiness), designed to cater to high-end travelers. The enhanced runway, equipped with LED lighting, also allows for night landings, a first for Barbuda.

Plans to Expand the Airport

According to prime minister Browne, his government was able to raise funding through “some creative financing”, by convincing on of the major developers on Barbuda – the Peace, Love, and Happiness (PLH) project -, as well as Paradise Found, to advance US$10 million to the government to start commence construction.

Prime Minister Browne announced a $75 million loan from a banking consortium, led by CIBC Caribbean, to expand the new airport and refurbish Antigua’s VC Bird International Airport. The runway at Burton-Nibs will be extended by 2,000 feet, with the goal of accommodating American Airlines flights within three years.

“One thing we will ensure is that a portion of the taxes that are collected on an annual basis will be retained for capital expansion and we have also taken the decision that we will expand this airport commencing next year… We’ll be utilizing most of those funds to refurbish the Antigua Airport, BC Bird International Airport, but we will also engage that contractor to commence the expansion of the Barbuda International by at least another 2,000 feet. And I guarantee you that within three years, we will land an American airline commercial jet right here on this runway.”

Additionally, discussions with American Airlines are already underway to establish regular flights to Barbuda. Plans for a new deep-water seaport are advancing as well, with consultants engaged to identify an ideal location.

Tourism Minister Charles Fernandez announced that the government has started discussions with AA to land in Barbuda.

Plans for a new seaport on Barbuda have also advanced, Browne noted, adding “We’ll also be building out a new seaport facility because the current location, the depth, is too shallow and it’s too pristine an area to be dredged. So, we have some consultants that we recently engaged, I believe we just sent off the payment today, so that they can advise us on a new site where we can have a deep water port so the ships can come right into Barbuda rather than having to come to Antigua and then ship to Barbuda.”

The Future Barbuda

“In fact this is just the start of the polishing of this diamond as we seek to build out other aspects of the Barbuda infrastructure. And I’ll state it categorically today that everything that exists in Antigua will be replicated here in Barbuda, including in Kentucky.”

Gaston Browne, prime minister of Antigua & Barbuda

The government’s plans for Barbuda are vast, from facilitating the construction of high-end resorts and hotels, to fixing the road network and allowing land to be sold for the first time in hundreds of years.

“We have indicated, while in opposition, that it was our intention to make Barbuda, or to transform Barbuda into a sustainable island destination. One in which we will build out a number of high-end resorts and low-density resorts. And that is why we have leased large land to these developers, so that they can pursue a low-impact development on Barbuda.”

“We want Barbuda to be a luxury destination, attracting premium tourists, not overcrowded with low-end visitors,” Browne stated.

Major infrastructure projects are underway, including the construction of luxury hotels like the Rosewood Hotel and Silver Sands resort. The Rosewood project, set to begin in early 2025, will feature 50 high-end rooms in its first phase, with completion expected by October of the same year.

The government also has plans to invest $50 million in road infrastructure by 2025, ensuring the island’s development keeps pace with its growing tourism industry.

We’re not only promising, but we have already secured the funding. Evidently, 32 million or 35 million cannot bill out the entire road infrastructure. So beyond that, we’ll be partnering with PLH in which 50% of the funds that they collect for transfer taxes or payable for that amount of transfer taxes will be dedicated towards further road construction. So in 2025, we expect to spend in a region of about no less than $50 million on roads in Barbuda as we seek to build up the road infrastructure.

Browne said once the Barbuda Council cooperates, the developers for the Rosewood Hotel are developing the drawings late in the year to be finalized and that project should commence construction in the first quarter of 2025.

“So about October of next year, they will have the first phase, which will include 50 high-end rooms operational, and we’ll be able to receive guests. So this airport, potentially, within the next two to three years, could attract probably about 20,000 tourists annually. And you can do the math. The head taxi in Barbuda for visitors, not for the locals, is significantly higher than that of Antigua. It’s 200 US dollars per head. So 20,000 times 200. That’s four million US dollars, easily.

In a bold prediction, Browne estimated that Barbuda could generate $100 million annually in taxes within the next five years, offering a substantial economic boost to the island’s 2,000 residents.

But with the future of the airport being contested in court, along with plans to register and sell lands on the island, all Browne’s plans, for now, are uncertain