British Virgin Islands: Minister for Communications and Works, Mark Vanterpool, said the only thing preventing the seaplane service providers from plying the Virgin Gorda route is the clearance from Air Safety Support International (ASSI), according to a BVInews.com report.
Minister Vanterpool announced, at a meeting with BVI Ports Authority officials and staff, that Government is in discussion with interested seaplane companies. “I did meet with a seaplane company on Monday at 9 o’clock as they are anxious to fly into North Sound. They are just trying to get all of their regulations sorted out and as a Ministry we would be encouraging them by doing what we can to make it happen. Hopefully that would happen soon. There are about two or three seaplane companies who have an interest in flying in there so it might be more than bumble bees who knows,” Minister Vanterpool said.
The communications and works minister said the companies are trying to get their final regulatory approvals through ASSI. “And there is one part of it that our ministry has to do that we are looking into to provide to ASSI and we are working on that so they should be fairly quick,” Vanterpool said.
The BVInews.com said the minister disclosed that Seaborne Airline, which was approved during the previous NDP administration, is still interested in providing the service, but expected to reapply with other conditions.
“You normally have to still reapply with any conditions that may have changed and get approved by ASSI and so on…The group that is interested in flying-in is an American group, one of them, and Seaborne is, I believe, out of the USVI. So those are two of them. They are actively preparing to invest. I think have two seaplanes already and they are investing in more to be able to fly into the territory,” Vanterpool added.
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