St Maarten & BVI reach agreement on in-transit fee

The British Virgin Islands Airports Authority (BVIAA) is anticipating an increase in air travel as it has reached an agreement with the Princess Juliana International Airport (PJIA) in St Maarten to slash in-transit fees.

The fee drops from $55 to $30 per person for travel between the PJIA and the T. B Lettsome International Airport.

The agreement to cut the fees was reached after a meeting on March 9 between representatives from both islands and WinAir.

BVIAA Managing Director, Kurt Menal, said the authority will continue its conversations with St Maarten and will soon make an announcement on the reduction in the in-transit fees for passengers travelling to the VI via St Maarten.

Menal said: “The necessary framework to bring this project to fruition is being fine-tuned and the team in St Maarten is currently putting the final touches together to allow passengers to enjoy the benefits of the partnership.”

Minister for Communications and Works Kye Rymer said the government will be taking the necessary steps to ensure Virgin Islanders can access destinations across the world.

“I cannot underscore enough how important such partnerships are as St. Maarten is one of the major hubs that connects the Caribbean region to Europe and the BVI is perfectly positioned to tap into the European market with this partnership,” he said

 Theodore Burke, chairman of the Board of the BVIAA, said that they are committed to increasing air access to the VI and connecting the region and the rest of the world to the Territory.