Anguilla's Airport Waits Offer BVI Warning
Anguilla spent decades seeking UK help to expand its airport, only to find meaningful assistance slow or absent, a senior lawmaker told the territory's House of Assembly. Anguilla is now funding upgrades largely through revenues from its lucrative .ai internet domain, a route the British Virgin Islands may need to consider as it waits for UK approval for its own airport plans.
A senior Anguillian lawmaker has laid out how the island spent decades waiting for the United Kingdom to back a long‑planned airport expansion, and how a lack of timely British support ultimately forced local leaders to seek alternatives. Road South representative Hayden Hughes told the Anguilla House of Assembly this month that the debate over a modern international airport stretches back more than 40 years.
Hughes said successive Anguillian administrations viewed an expanded airport as essential for development but repeatedly encountered limited or delayed assistance from London. At one point French technical support filled gaps left by the UK, he said. Hughes also recalled a high‑profile moment in 2017 when then British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson visited Anguilla and, according to Hughes, publicly urged airport investment.
Hughes said Johnson later denied making the remarks despite live radio recordings; in the Assembly Hughes jokingly called him a "vagabond" before retracting the insult. Today, Anguilla is moving forward with major improvements to Clayton J. Lloyd International Airport largely without relying on UK coffers.
The territory has benefited from a boom in global demand for the .ai internet domain it manages, generating significant new government revenue. Those funds are being ploughed into infrastructure projects, helping Anguilla identify clear financing for airport upgrades — a key factor that secured UK approvals once funding was evident.
The Anguilla experience carries immediate relevance for the British Virgin Islands, which has submitted proposals to London for expansion of Terrance B. Lettsome International Airport and is still awaiting a decision. Anguilla’s history suggests the UK approval process can be protracted if an overseas territory relies solely on promises of British funding, particularly when proposed costs fall outside established financial thresholds for overseas territories.
For BVI residents and leaders, the lesson is practical: securing and presenting clear, committed funding sources — whether from local revenue, public‑private partnerships, or alternative external partners — may speed UK approvals and reduce reliance on uncertain grants. Anguilla’s pivot to leveraging a unique revenue stream illustrates that territories can find creative financial solutions to unlock long‑delayed infrastructure projects.
As the BVI awaits London’s response, officials will need to weigh whether to continue depending on UK support or to marshal alternative finance to keep the airport expansion on schedule.
Primary source: BVI News