The U.S. Virgin Islands Hotel and Tourism Association is urging the Virgin Islands Port Authority to delay a final commitment on the SkyCity airport public-private partnership until an independent comparison of costs, financing and air-service impacts is completed.
The association cited an estimated $690 million construction cost and roughly $1.2 billion total cost for the proposed redevelopment of Cyril E. King Airport. It asked VIPA to evaluate those figures against a conceptual alternative presented by the Airports and Aviation Consultants Collaborative at an estimated $390 million.
The lower-cost concept is not a completed competing bid and would still require detailed engineering, financing analysis and due diligence. The association's request is therefore for a neutral, like-for-like review using the same assumptions rather than acceptance of either price as conclusive.
Tourism leaders also raised concern that higher airport costs could flow through to airline fees and weaken airlift. VIPA has been advancing a long-term partnership intended to modernize the territory's airports, but the association argues that the scale of the commitment warrants a transparent comparison before a final vote.
Before a final decision, VIPA should commission and publish an independent comparison that applies the same passenger forecasts, scope, financing assumptions, airline-fee impacts, construction phasing and risk tests to each option. A public summary of the analysis and conflict-of-interest safeguards would make the tradeoffs easier to evaluate.
Source published August 28, 2026. Read the original reporting or release for the complete record.
Open original source