The Virgin Islands Port Authority has issued the following update on the status of operations at the Cyril E. King Airport Terminal and at the Edward W. Blyden Marine Terminal on St. Thomas, and addressed travelers’ complaints regarding early departures at the Henry E. Rohlsen Airport on St. Croix:
CYRIL E. KING AIRPORT TERMINAL, ST. THOMAS
VIPA’s contractors are still mitigating an environmental issue found during construction at the Cyril E. King Airport Terminal on St. Thomas. Special equipment has been imported to resolve the problem, said VIPA Executive Director Carlton Dowe. U.S. Customs officers have been temporarily relocated from Checkpoint B to Checkpoint A in the terminal to screen passengers. Checkpoint A is a smaller checkpoint with fewer stations. This will cause the screening process to take longer than normal. Travelers are advised to arrive at the airport three to four hours prior to their scheduled departure time, especially during the hours of noon through 5 p.m. VIPA apologizes for the inconvenience as they work as quickly as possible to complete the repairs to the main checkpoint in the terminal. The public will be updated on the progress of the repairs.
EDWARD W. BLYDEN IV MARINE TERMINAL, ST. THOMAS
Similar conditions were discovered during repairs at the Blyden Terminal. VIPA relocated CBP officers last week to the Urman Fredericks Marine Terminal in Red Hook while the matter was mitigated. All the repairs have been completed. CBP officers will return to the Blyden Terminal and all operations will resume as normal by February 27, said Dowe. Dowe reminds the public that VIPA is making significant progress in improving its facilities. However, during the construction phase, there may be unforeseen repairs that need to be urgently addressed. He thanked the public for their continued patience as VIPA works to improve its port facilities to better serve the public.
HENRY E. ROHLSEN AIRPORT TERMINAL, ST. CROIX
VIPA received complaints from the public concerning a three-hour wait time before being able to be processed for early-morning flights on American Airlines departing from the HERA Terminal on St. Croix. VIPA is working jointly with the airline’s representatives and CBP to extend their hours of operations at the HERA Terminal.