Virgin Islands Port Authority Executive Director Carlton Dowe responded to a Notice of Penalty received by the Virgin Islands Port Authority regarding potential fines to be imposed against the Authority by the U.S. Department of Transportation via the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). Dowe said that VIPA received a letter from the FAA dated August 23, 2023, stating that the FAA proposed to impose a fine of $477,000 on VIPA. The penalties are for various deficiencies discovered during routine inspections in calendar years 2021 and 2022 at the Cyril E. King Airport in St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands.
Dowe said that the FAA’s administrative process allows VIPA to respond to the notice before the fines are imposed. “While there was notice of some of the deficiencies, others were not brought to the Authority’s attention until the August 23, 2023, letter. VIPA has submitted a response to the FAA, including extensive documentation showing numerous deficiencies listed were corrected, are currently being mitigated against, or are simply non-existent. Additionally, the VIPA team continues to work with the FAA’s Atlanta Airports District Office to plan and program our capital improvement projects where we address these compliance items. We look forward to being able to discuss this matter with the FAA,” said Dowe.
VIPA is currently constructing over $29 million in airfield safety improvements at the Cyril E. King Airport, with additional projects in the planning and design phase for future works, including runway rehabilitation. “I remind the traveling public that the King Airport only has one runway. VIPA cannot close the airport to complete the extensive runway repairs simultaneously. These projects must be completed in phases. Our contractors, engineers, and airport management staff work in conjunction with the airlines’ schedules and work during the night to complete repairs.” The airports will continue to operate as normal while this matter is being resolved. Dowe invited the media to contact him directly with any inquiries at 340-244-1065 or info@viport.com.
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