On Sunday afternoon, VC Bird International Airport experienced an incident in which fragments of asphalt from the runway were dislodged during a commercial carrier’s departure.

However, the airport’s maintenance crew was immediately mobilized to address the issue, and there was no major or negative impact on flight operations.

The repair work continued through Monday night, and the runway is now fully operational. On Monday, the Antigua and Barbuda Airport Authority reduced the declared runway operation distances to ensure that the repair work could be completed promptly.

This helped to maintain the flight schedule and minimize any inconvenience for passengers.

Charles Fernandez, Minister of Aviation, visited the airport on Sunday to assess the damage and was impressed by the quick and professional response of the airport team and the Ministry of Works.

On Monday evening, the runway was temporarily closed to allow the Ministry of Works to complete the corrective maintenance work without any obstruction. It was reopened the same night at 7:30 pm.

Overall, flights in and out of the VC Bird International Airport were not significantly affected by the incident, and the repair work was completed efficiently and without any major disruptions.