Above: the Cyril E King Airport in St Thomas

By the Caribbean Journal staff

The United States Virgin Islands’ Port Authority has received $8.77 million in funding for aviation projects at the Cyril King Airport in St Thomas.

The funding, which is coming from the United States Department of Transportation, will target the rehabilitation of the general aviation apron and taxiway A at the airport. Some of the funding will be used for aeronautical study at CEKA, according to Don Mills, acting executive director at the Port Authority.

“Federal funding to improve our airport facilities during these trying times is greatly needed and appreciated,” Mills said. “This grant will help the Port Authority to uphold its mandate to provide safe airfield operations.”

USVI Governor John de Jongh said it was “imperative that we continue to market the Virgin Islands as a premier vacation destination in the Caribbean that we maintain both our airports and seaports.”

“The federal grant will allow the Port Authority to carry out rehabilitation of the King Airport taxiway and runway,” he said. “At the time, [the project will] carry out a study to determine whether potential obstructions exist to the approach and departure path to the airport’s runways.”