St. Lucia’s ambitious upgrade of Hewanorra International Airport (HIA), the island nation’s key air gateway, has hit major new milestones, with the project’s new air traffic control tower nearly finished and a lead contractor selected for the broader redevelopment initiative, according to the country’s top infrastructure official.\n\nIn an on-the-record update with reporters from the St. Lucia Times outside Parliament Tuesday, Infrastructure Minister Shawn Edward shared detailed progress on the multi-year modernization project that aims to boost St. Lucia’s air connectivity and tourism competitiveness.\n\nEdward confirmed that construction of the new air traffic control tower is currently 95% complete, marking a dramatic jump in progress from just eight months ago. When Prime Minister Philip J. Pierre delivered his 2024 Budget Address in April, the facility was only halfway done, sitting at 52% completion.\n\nThe minister broke down the tower project into its two core components: physical construction of the tower structure, and installation of specialized air traffic management technology. Civil construction works have been carried out by NH, a construction firm based in neighboring Trinidad and Tobago, which has collaborated closely with a Canadian technology supplier to integrate the custom software required for air traffic control operations.\n\nIf current progress holds, Edward projects the fully operational control tower will be ready to launch as early as January or February 2025.\n\nBeyond the control tower, the full-scale HIA redevelopment scheme has cleared another key hurdle: the Saint Lucia Air and Sea Ports Authority (SLASPA) has finalized its competitive bidding process and selected a private contractor to lead the overall project. Edward noted that while formal contract negotiations are still ongoing, no binding agreement has been signed, so the identity of the selected firm cannot be released to the public at this time.\n\nThe minister emphasized that the contractor selection process followed SLASPA’s independent, rigorous procurement protocols, and was not directed by the Cabinet or Prime Minister Pierre’s office, reinforcing the government’s commitment to transparent public tendering.\n\nThe HIA modernization has a lengthy, checkered history that stretches across multiple administrations. Initial construction on a new passenger terminal launched under the previous United Workers Party government, but the project was put on hold shortly after the 2021 general election that brought Pierre’s administration to power. The pause was implemented to allow a full review of the project’s scope, costs, and priorities to align it with the current government’s development goals.\n\nEdward made clear that avoiding costly, drawn-out delays is a top priority for his team, drawing a parallel to the high-profile St. Jude Hospital redevelopment, which has been plagued by years of extended construction timelines. He told reporters he has repeatedly stressed to his staff that the HIA project must not fall into the same pattern of long delays.\n\n“Only this morning, I was saying to my staff that we have to ensure that the HIA redevelopment project does not become another St Jude Hospital in terms of the gestation period,” Edward said.\n\nThe current government has set a clear timeline for completion: the full, refurbished and upgraded Hewanorra International Airport will be delivered before the next general election, according to the minister.\n\nA large portion of the project’s funding comes from international development support: the World Bank’s Caribbean Air Transport Connectivity Project (CATCOP) is providing EC$121 million (approximately $44.8 million USD) to support key upgrades. Edward explained that this funding will be allocated to three critical areas: structural repairs to the airport’s main runway, modernization of air navigation equipment, and improvements to facilities for the airport’s firefighting and emergency response team.\