The Board of Directors, management and staff of the Anguilla Air and Sea Ports Authority (AASPA) has informed the traveling public that on September 17, 2018, the Clayton J. Lloyd International Airport (CJLIA) received approval from its regulator, Air Safety Support International (ASSI), allowing the resumption of night-time operations at the Airport.
Following the severe damage of Hurricane Irma, night operations at the CJLIA had been suspended. However, consistent with the mantra of “Anguilla Strong,” the CJLIA was determined to build resiliency into its operations with new lighting systems and the implementation of an Instrument Flight Procedure (IFP), based on Global Positioning System (GPS) technology. This technology replaces the previous Non-Directional Beacon (NDB) system and is used to guide and aid aircraft in approaching and landing at the CJLIA and taking off from Anguilla.
The GPS based IFP allows the CJLIA to better coordinate its operations as well as mitigate against natural disasters such as hurricanes because the technology can be quickly placed on stream with little physical infrastructure needed and no sacrifice to safety.
The AASPA is extremely grateful to the United Kingdom Government for its support from its technical assistance personnel and for the provision of financial resources in the form of grants. These resources were utilized not only to enable the restoration of nighttime operations but also to make it possible for the Airport to be available, once again, to accommodate flights on a 24-hour basis. Special thanks is extended to His Excellency the Governor, the Hon. Tim Foy, and the staff of the Governor’s Office; the Hon. Chief Minister, Victor Banks and the Hon. Minister of Infrastructure, Curtis Richardson, and the management and staff of their Ministries for their unwavering support and encouragement; and to the regulator of the CJLIA, Air Safety Support International, for their cooperation, even as they ensured that the required standards were met.
The AASPA, above all, is extremely grateful and proud of the sterling efforts of the young, dedicated and effective management team and staff of the CJLIA, led by Mr. Jabari Harrigan, Acting Airport Executive Manager. The patience and encouragement of all other stakeholders of the CJLIA throughout the past twelve months are greatly appreciated. By no means is the journey over in transforming the CJLIA; however, the return of night operations at the CJLIA is an enormous step towards success.
