Prime Minister of St. Vincent, Ralph Gonsalves, has announced that the Argyle International Airport will open on Februar y 14, 2017.
In a radio announcement, he said it is a day all Vincentians were looking forward to.
He said he was going to make the announcement on New Years Day but after social media buzz, he decided to make the date public.
“I know social media was hinting at it and on Wednesday, 28th December I had a meeting with all relevant stakeholders to make sure February 14th is a go,” Gonsalves said.
The EC$729 million (One EC dollar =US$0.37 cents) airport has missed construction deadlines annually since 2011 and has been a major plank of the 2005, 2010 and 2015 general elections.
You all dog St Vincent bad boy, I am glad we have our airport now yes, but since I was a little boy I heard we would get airport I leave home at eighteen and fifty years is how long I have waited to see this happen, give time guy your island would get there’s , you guys don’t have to be that hard on Vincy we are all one, WEST INDIANS .
.
I agree
Developments in transport and communication have accelerated globalisation. We have a to appreciate how vital a lifeline good transport, including an international airport, really is.
Unfortunately, Dominica is being left behind . Ca ca rat indeed.
In a globalised world development in transport is essential as we become more interdependent.
An international airport in Dominica Is crucial to facilitate economic development among other impacts. Anyone who says otherwise has a limited understanding of current global changes and the processes bringing about those changes.
Well done St Vincent. On your way to stronger global links with positive impacts.
Dominica needs a complete overhaul of its leadership and governance with people who can lead and bring about real change for the benefit of all its citizens.
Dominica will stay backward is all. That’s why people do not want to travel there. Its a pain to come into the island and a pain to leave. I personally think the government has had the money to build the airport over the years but failed to do so because of their greed. Tight bastards!!!
With All De BORBALLL these politicians making all u cannot afford to build a international airport to
St Vincent, I don’t know whether or not I should praise you, or just congradulation. However, I have to say you have proven that determination and goals can only be acheived through goals setting, forciable future,
and the intention for your country equilibrium. your people should be thankful for your vision. I hope Dominican will take the oppourtunity to follow your foot-step. I am hoping that one day we Dominican will be able to fly straight to Dominica regardless of where we ar coming from in the world.
Wow, what a beautiful valentines day gift to the people of St Vincent and the Grenadines. Congrat to all those who came together to make this happen.
I am a little tired of this ITL. Airport talk! For the last time, DA cannot afford one. Cannot maintain one, and definitely could not manage one….. The problem with our current airport is its management ……my recent visit there was worst than hell!
Airport staff and attendants were completely clueless as to how to manage and deal with flight cancellations, and were unable to effectively communicate to us as to what we were supposed to do…….. Never even used the P.A. System to communicate clearly to the more than Two hundred stuck passengers ,etc, etc…….. Thank God for a frequent flyer who raised here beautiful voice loud and clear to us all to guide us through our dilemmas of being stuck at the airport with no accomodation plans or places to stay that night, for the airport was suddenly closing! The Government needs to hire and pay this woman!! To add insult to injury, the near same thing happened in Barbados, and they have an international airport!
Folks , international airport or not, it has to be staffed ,maintained, etc. Without proper management and training, a complete waste of time. The first thing visitors encounter is the airport and its staff…. That will determine whether or not a tourist will return! Please raise your standards Dominica! An international airport to me is really not the real challenge in Dominica………
please stop talking ignorance,you need to study economics.is people like you why dominica is so backward.i hope that dominicans riot if Skerrit ever visit st.vincent for the opening ceremony of the airport.Skerrit need the to start the airport as soon as posibble and not to wait until election to do so.we cannot let all the other islands laugh at us.they are afraid that if get an international airport,we would out strip them in tourism.we have so many potentials we should develop them to our greatest advantage.
I didn\’t read all of the comments; however, so far, I agree with those that I did read. We need LEADERS NOT FOLLOWERS, although some followers do well. I say \’way to go Ralph\’ you told our Prime Minister that Dominica DON\’T need and International Airport while you was building yours. I hope that our Prime Minister FOLLOW now.
To be clear I am 200% in favour of building an international airport in Dominica.
But in discussing our lack of an international airport in reference to to the iiminent opening of St.Vincent’s we must make note of the following.
AIA SVG is almost 7 years late. Earth movement started in 2008 with completion scheduled for 2011. Costs now estimated to be in the region of EC 1 Billion more than 300 Million above initial estimates. And up to this point there is no annouced SCHEDULED service by any North American or European carrier. As a matter of fact the SVG PM has said that for “the first six months” AIA will see scheduled flights from just LIAT, American Eagle and Air Mustique.
I dont raise these points to justify the non building of an intl airport in DA. But that these fact must be brought into the discussions while we praise Ralph and make fun of Roosevelt.
Thats what u call pm he is the best thing da pm must go and lean from he he is allways my boy smart
Well done st Vincent.
Everyone makes fun of Dominica and its airport, not so much the strip but the terminal facility. We are perhaps the only island of this size which does not have an international airport. Our friends in St. Vincent now have one. While on things that visitors laugh at, they laugh at Roseau as a city, they laugh at the lack of a shopping mall and they laugh at our lack of entertainment which does not involve a party. For instance where do we go for movie night? 3D movies which premiere the same week as in the US?
We hear talk of best hospital, best city and best, next level stuff, but see nothing that is taking us there.
keep talking Skerrit, seems that people are still listening.
Skerritt and co have worked the old adage of:
“You can fool some of the people some of the time but you cant fool all of the people all of the time”.
I think by now Dominicans are starting to wake from their slumber to realise that all the nice words arent changing their daily struggle for the better – only better for those trlling them nice words.
I think an International Airport is definitely needed in Dominica
Ah boy skerrit. When next election come , I wonder what’s going to be the word on the international airport.
St Vincent has the grenadines to boost tourist arrivals, what do we have in Dominica? Nada
Congratulations to the Government and People of St Vincient, on the soon to be the opining of their International Airport. That surely have a nice ring to it? Better Later than Never In our Lovely Dominica. If what is alleged that the Leader of St Vinceint and the Greanadines, told us we do not need an International AirPort, my opinon is ” With Friends like this, who needs Enemies? Do as i say but not as i do”. Neverthless, we will be promise our International AirPort, in the not to distance furture, as accustom, this promise has proved so far to be fools Gold, and every time it is played out or kick around like a broken can, we all Clap, shout wail and wallow, wining on our woman with a Kubili in our hands. Only in Dominica. Comining to a platform near us soon. Thanks D.N.O. for providing uswith this midum to express our opinions, and voice our Concerns, freedom is not always free. God`s speed and looking forward to bigger and better things in the NewYear and Beyond.
They will have tike close the Airport before my comments/ opinion finish moderate???
I think my gov and there friends only there to sell passports and to give news for other Islands that doing well I want to cry for Dominica to see how well dominica use to do under the DFP and how well we did under the two years of the UWP but time will tell one day DOM-IN-CANS will wake up from there sleep am very sorry to see how our Dominica become with this bad mind set of people
All you sot.
Skerrit going to announce his own next year!
The real joke about this is amongst the other Caricom heads of state.
Our dude (Skerro) brings another guy in to tell us we don’t need an international airport, then that guy (Gonsalves) goes to the same people who were to supply Dominica with said international airport and gets the deal for Grenada himself. I hate to say it but you have to give Gonsalves credit for acknowledging an idiot in the room and getting the unappreciated spoils to better his island instead.
If ever there was a better case for the term “country bookie” then let me know.
HOW FAR AWAY ARE WE FROM AN INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT? Please dont cry when you read the links below:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicago_Convention_on_International_Civil_Aviation
http://www.icao.int/secretariat/legal/Status%20of%20individual%20States/dominica_en.pdf
Apologies St. Vincent not Grenada.
Ralph was quite right!
He could see very early that Dominicans are the most stupidest, foolishest, duncest set of people on the planet. They can be be bribed for/with practically anything and life is a dream while they continue to suck salt.
Everywhere you go in the Caribbean, Dominicans are there begging for jobs and opportunities yet they will frustrate the very same job opportunities in their own homeland.
The people are all proud to wear their Fools Badge of Honour with pride and will do all in their power to protect their unenviable accolade of Cinderella of the Caribbean.
This place should be declared the Real Jurasic Park of the next 100 years.
I am ashamed to be a Dominican!!
I can’t believe that these guys are only now opening that airport…
How many years it took to build that airport??? 20 years !!!
At least they have one to open. We havent even started
I wonder what d minister skerrit saying now. the same man he brought here to say Dca don’t need one completing his own. this skerrit boy must be eating himself in shame!
Congratulations Ralf, Now laugh at your boy Skeritt!
Sleritt will be sot if he was invited for the grand opening of St. Vincent new airport. After all it was brother Gomsalves who doscourage him not to build an airport capable of long range flights in DA. LOL
it is not too late for us, this x-mas season saw record numbers of persons not getting their luggage on time, antigua and barbados making money on us for sleep overs.
i do hope the prime minister reconsiders and get us our int. airport.
The PM of DA bring the PM of vinc to tell DA ppl that we don’t need one like that. Today see what he have. So now we can see that the PM of Dominica don’t love DA an its ppl.
I would invite Skerrit to the opening and have him cut the ribbon; what a day of rejoicing that would be. Skerrit smart but Gonsalves smarter; Ho ho hoooooooooo!
The thing cost more than Dominica GDP is at the time
John Charles you should be ashamed to write such lies! Rather than lying, tell the truth that Edison James and the UWP was building an International Airport in the Country; when Roosevelt Skerrit, Athie Martin, Prier Charles, Ian Douglas, the Labor Party gang chased the contractors and engineers from Trinidad & Tobago out of the country.
The money that was allocated for that purpose plus was squandered on Douglas-Charles money pit!
The International Airport was in it first phase, costing less than four hundred million dollars. Your Labor Party made the claim that it was to expensive; nevertheless, more than twenty years later it cost St. Vincent government more than seven hundred million dollars.
In order for Skerrit not to build an airport in the country he told the people in Marigot it will cost more than a billion dollars. Had he not taken Ralph Gonzales advise not to build one there would be an International Airport more than twenty years ago operating in the country.
The Argyle International Airport is a white elephant. So far, not one major airline has announced flights to AIA. This $1 billion + airport will bankrupt St. Vincent, already the most impoverished island in the English speaking Caribbean.
Nonetheless, it is a nice looking airport (with jet bridges) capable of handling all kinds of aircraft including the Boeing 747.
It hasnt even opened yet, but with good marketing and customer reports it will change for the better sooner rather than later. How do you think some of these remote little holiday hotspots start?
In 10 years time will your point be of any relevance if we have to change flights there to get Dominica?
You are nothing more than a fool, how can you have schedule flights into a an airport when it is not yet in operation. Do you know what the term spotting beans where it pertains to an International Airport?
Well, because I see your stupidity, and jealousy be informed that 747’s has already landed in St. Vincent, and that is why it is schedule to be in the interim. Calling it a White-Elephant is not going to change Skerrit’s yellow Elephant Douglas-Charles swamp, and money-pit, that leaking bucket into an International Airport.
Be reminded, Ralph Gonzalez made a bloody fool out of Skerrit when he advised him not to build an International Airport in Dominica because we don’t need it. And stupid as he is he is followed that deliberate bad advise. I wonder if Skerrit will cover his face to go to the in inauguration of Argyle International Airport if invited. If he is invited, and accepts, that would be adding insults to Dominica’s injury caused by Ralph.
CONGRATULATIONS TO ST VINCENT!!!! When will Dominica be next???????
That’s the same man that came to Dominica and told us to listen to our PM we don’t need an international airport and we the foolish and ignorant people of Dominica applauded that statement. Today his AIRPORT is about to open and we are still struggling for air access to Dominica. SHAME ON US
Sorry it is DA and not GA
If Skeritt is invited to the opening, it will be interesting to hear what he will be saying to Gonsalves. It is alleged Gonsalves had discouraged Skeritt who wanted to build an international airport in Dominica.
lol
Doc. Love you are correct! This is not an obligation, the Birds, of Antigua, and Gonzalez plotted to con, Skerrit into not Building an International Airport in the country. At the same time Gonzalez was making a fool out of Skerrit he was negotiating to build St. Vincent International Airport.
There are recoding with Gonzalez voice on it; telling Bird “do not allow Dominica to build an International Airport, because when it is completed Dominica it will become the Hub in the center of the Caribbean, while Antigua will lost that privilege! ” Hence by the time the election came around Bird gave Dominicans living in Antigua, free flights on LIAT to return to Dominica, to vote against James and the UWP.
That is how the UWP lost the election; when they return and voted against themselves, and progress in their country. Gonzalez is not the only one who played on Skerrit.
Bertrand a Trinidadian, former overseer of municipal airports in the Caribbean, in order to protect his job…
Continue:
Bertrand a Trinidadian, former overseer of municipal airports in the Caribbean, in order to protect his job until it was time for his retirement advise Athie Martin that Dominica did not need an International Airport, all that is needed is the refurbishing of the terminal, and the same as Gonzalez told him all that is needed is the installing of landing lights to accommodate night landing at Melville Hall Airport.
That is why Roosevelt spend more than half of a billion dollars after taking bad advise from people who was undermining our country for their own selfish motives.
Since all of the islands of the Caribbean where Bertrand oversaw municipals airports had International Airports, he only supervised Dominica and St. Vincent, he knew it would be a while before retirement so he did not wish to risk his job; in the event Dominica build an International Airport then he might be out of a job, hence he went into the mind of Athie and screwed it. Now Athie reads DNO,…
Finally:
Now Athie reads DNO, he can deny my comments if he wish, I doubt he will venture into that so as not to open a can of worms!
By the way Bertrand retired and open a consulting firm in Barbados, leaving Skerrit and Dominica without an International Airport!
This seems like a conspiracy. Why are our neighbours afraid to see us prosper? I’ve always said that there is no CARICOM or OECS because they’re DOG EAT DOG Organisations geared to get information on Dominica and cut us at every plan of Development. Petro Caribe continues to be our friends and international countries. Dominica should seek it’s own affiliation of countries where it can prosper and leave the Caribbean Corrupt and inept organisation. We are a Republic and it’s time that we open our wings and SOAR. Our neighbors are keeping us behind.
Let us become apart of the French Affiliations and Leave CARICOM and OECS. It’s the majority against DOMINICA.
A real sad state of affairs. They played our boy Skerro like a country bookie
Sorry is not GA but DA.(Dominica)
The UWP while in opposition wrote the U.S.embassy protesting against the U.S.government going to start work on an international airport in GA.in an election year 1990,Mr James said if the U.S.continue, they will be interfering in the local election.
When the UWP took office they were trying to construct an airport in 1999. the DLP made fun of the idea and said Dominica don’t need international airport,True to their words when they took office 2000,the farmers who were compensated for their land and crops,the minister for agriculture asked them to reclaim their land and crops.
In one of the election campaign the DLP brought Ralph Gonsalves on it’s platform and he told us, Dominica does not need an international airport,just renovate Melville Hall Airport,while he was seeking help to build one in St.Vincent.
Who laugh last laugh the best.
Happy new year and remember Christ died in our place,so Y not trust Him now .
Thank you DNO,God bless you 4 the opportunity
You have good memory,but irrespective of what happened about 20 years ago,but all governments take office,to improve on the errors of preceeding governments..This DLP was the opposite.We have a gang of ****** men and women leading a country for about 20 years now,and the doggone country has about 30 years.Those ****** had,,ALBA money,LYBIA,VENEZUELA,CHINA,PASSPORT money…. This is the only government in Dominica that has gotten so much money from so many countries.With all that look at the poor,deplorable state of Dominica!.Melvillehall is a mess after millions were spent there…………..Remember when Skerrit went to hide and sent Liverpool to enjoy night landing?..This was years and years and years and years after Antigua and other countries had their international airport..He had several busses of country fools on the ground clapping…I say this DLP is evil and it’s the worst government in the Commonwealth,arguably in the world!!!
so Dominicans remain like CALABASH we are so, so stupid we can’t even think for our selves, that is why we remain the most nothing in the Caribbean
jean D/ca leva zo tou dotish evev corrupt, las van tout la PASS PORT LA evec fe cou zo wish
…and we keep paying outside people to do things we should be doing for ourselves. When will we learn? For example
The Chinese:
-don’t support adequate local employment and training on major projects
-build shoddy roads and get paid to repair them
-sell poor quality goods to the public
-profit from our apathy and ignorance
…and the people let it continue
Charles , this goes to show what I have been saying since I was a boy. That Dominicans are gullible and like to think that foreigners know better than us. Sad thought but this was based on many examples I have seen over the years. But , this is not the truth and I want Dominicans to know that we are just as smart or even smarter than most.
Gonzales tricked Skerrit at the time when Skerro was a young man without much experience. The question is \”has Skerrit grown up?\”
That laugh could be premature and would be a painful one mr. Charles. Argyle was completed 5 years behind schedule and as far as I am aware still has no major international airline signed up to commence scheduled services there. A facility like this is very expensive to maintain- & operate and breaking-even would be a major achievement in itself. I hope it develops into a revenue producing asset for the people of St. Vincent soon and not into an expensive white elephant and mr. Gonsalves’ nadir.
A prominent member of the Freedom Party, it is alleged, went to the site of the proposed International Airport site , with a finger on his right hand, points it towards the skies against the wind and subsequently recommended to his Prime Minister that the site was not suitable for an International Airport. This same member who has changed political sides might well be the one to represent the Government of Dominica at the grand opening of the International Airport in St. Vincent, wow.
Whaoo what a thing this is.
Ralph is the same guy who told Skerrit that Dominica doe snot need an international airport.
Now look who is laughing at who.
Why did he need Ralph to make a decision for him?
St Vincent can pay for the airport by having Dominicans fly to DA via St Vincent!
Watch this space
February 2016???????????
Dominica remains last again, WHAT IS GOING ON IN THIS COUNTRY. We are last in everything in the region but these morons continue saying we are doing the best, we love our PM. DOMINICA, when you wake up, TO LATE SHALL BE YOUR CRY.
Well, we were the first to have a black government after slavery but got conned out of it by the bourgeoise. However, we tend to have featured last in all aspects ever since.
The Nature island tag is a lazy excuse now that hinders progress and development by immediately opposing any industrial development that could change our fortunes and bring some prosperity to the island.
For example, the prospect of geothermal energy, logging or copper mining on a small to moderate scale would have immediate benefits to the island even if the quantity was smaller than expected. The infrastructure set up that private companies would do as necessary would provide more accessiblity alone which would be a starting factor to generating more local economy. The West will seek to keep us poor with a litte aid to support green environments while they sell us everything because we produce nothing.
The so call leaders of Dominica should be ashame!! They fooling the people by telling them the countries with international airport can’t afford it, but no one is closing instead new ones are being built. And is a struggle for we that living out of Dominica to struggle to get home.
I wonder when ours will open?
Where is Dominica international airport? Oh I forget Dominica does not need one, Dominichen sot!
and Dominica in the year 3030?
HAHAHHAAHAH
That’s the same Ralph Gonsalve that stood on Skerrit party platform and told Dominicans they didn’t need an international airport! Way to go Vincy’s. Now you have international airport. At least when LIAT listen to their pilots and bann the customer for being concerned that the pilot may have been consuming alcohol she will have option.
******IT”S ONLY A BILLION DOLLARS*********
The EC$729 million (One EC dollar =US$0.37 cents) airport has missed construction deadlines annually since 2011……………
……………………………………
It’s really amazing when it’s the people’s money!!
No one [politician/government] really cares when it should really complete!! But yet it cost tax payers nearly a “Billion” dollars!!
and Dominica there forming the fool!!!!!!!!!!!!! stay last caca rat still DOM!!!!