Dear Editor,
At long last the Argyle International Airport in St Vincent and the Grenadines will be officially opened on February 14 after five long years of delay at a cost of a whopping EC $729 million ($1US = EC$2.67), more than EC$100 million that was originally anticipated.
Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves announced on local radio that Valentine’s Day, the day of love, is the date his government has set for the commencement of airline operations which will bring joy not only to the 120,000 Vincentians, but to Caribbean nationals as well as tourists the world over Tourism, trade, agriculture, sports, and other activities have been hampered because there was no international airport, and persons had to seek entry via Barbados, St Lucia, or Trinidad and Tobago, wasting time as well as money.
Details as regards operations of the airport are not yet known, but there is speculation that the first commercial flights into the airport would be charter flights. Prime Minister Gonsalves would be happy if businessmen and members of the diaspora organize charter flights on that day and following days.
I know for a fact that Gonsalves has placed a lot of emphasis on the airport; in fact he has placed his political future on the line, because many persons who are opposed to his administration said that the airport would not become a reality since the site was not suitable and there were other obstacles which would not make the venture feasible, and the ULP administration was wasting millions on the project.
Congratulations are due to Comrade Ralph and all Vincentians.
Yours faithfully,
Oscar Ramjeet
