The country’s highest court of appeal will announce the final decision on the construction process of Barbuda’s controversial international airport in the next few days.

The Privy Council in London will deliver its verdict on Tuesday.

The live proceedings of the announcement will be broadcasted on the court’s website jcpc.uk at 7am local time, and a debriefing session will be held at 2pm local time via Zoom with the non-profit legal group GLAN, where Barbudans from all over the world can participate and ask questions about the ruling, its implications, and any future steps.

Campaigners have expressed their plan to celebrate the resilience of John Mussington and Jackie Frank, the applicants, along with the support from GLAN and Garden Court Chambers, whose attorneys represented them, regardless of the decision.

They also hope to inspire other communities to fight against unwanted and potentially ecologically destructive developments.

The case was brought to court due to concerns that the airport’s construction destroyed critical wildlife habitats, including those of the red-footed tortoise and Barbuda fallow deer, and disregarded Barbudans’ exceptional culture.

Many Barbudans are against the sale of land to foreign developers after a legal change eliminated centuries-old communal land ownership.

The approval process for building the airport’s integrity was questioned during the November hearing.

The Privy Council is being asked to determine whether Frank and Mussington have legal standing to challenge government decisions.

However, the implications of the case go far beyond this, raising concerns among many residents that their way of life, history, and human rights are being eradicated along with their environment.

The government maintains that the airport is crucial for the sister isle’s economy and development, making it easier for affluent visitors to travel there, and previously stated that it was confident that the Barbudan applicants’ case would not hinder its plans.

The prime minister announced in Parliament on Thursday that the airport’s opening, which can accommodate jets, is only weeks away, and that some final approvals are still required from the Eastern Caribbean Civil Aviation Authority.