A key milestone has been reached in the runway rehabilitation initiative at Antigua and Barbuda’s VC Bird International Airport, with all asphalt paving work now fully wrapped up. This progress shifts the multi-phase upgrade project into its last critical phase, which encompasses technical testing, system commissioning, and final regulatory clearance.
Rex Daly, operations manager for the Antigua and Barbuda Airport Authority, explained that the completion of paving marks a major turning point for the project. After months of large-scale construction activity, the work program has now transitioned to focused final tasks designed to confirm the upgraded runway meets all strict international regulatory benchmarks and operational safety requirements.
Several key outstanding tasks remain before the project can be declared complete. These include cutting precision grooves into the runway surface to improve wet-weather traction, applying standardized airfield pavement markings, and finishing the installation, testing, and activation of the remaining sections of the airfield ground lighting network.
Engineering teams will also carry out a full aerodrome survey to cross-verify the exact positioning of both the new lighting system and pavement markings, ensuring alignment with international civil aviation guidelines. Additional mandatory checks include comprehensive flight inspections to validate navigation and lighting performance, calibration of all on-site operational equipment, and rigorous testing of runway surface friction to confirm it meets safety standards for all aircraft types.
Before the project can be formally finalized, local aviation officials will be required to submit a formal statement of compliance to the Eastern Caribbean Civil Aviation Authority, the regional regulatory body that oversees airworthiness and airport operations across the area. They will also need to complete and submit finalized as-built surveys and detailed technical drawings documenting all changes made during the rehabilitation work.
According to current project timelines, the full runway rehabilitation initiative is on track to reach substantial completion by the end of August, positioning the upgraded runway to begin supporting regular commercial air traffic in the near term.