OBSERVATION: Demilitarized Runway 10

Runway 10 located on the Eastern peninsula in the North East Marine Management Area, was formerly part of the U.S. Military & Air Force Base located in Antigua covering the Eastern Caribbean and Latin America. The strategic location of the island of Antigua was immediately recognized by the authorities of both the UK and their allies in the U.S. as the perfect island for their oversight of the region’s post war operations.

With the closure in recent years of several small US bases in our hemisphere, Antigua’s U.S. base was also decommissioned, with the leased lands and buildings returned to the Government, and the airport lands in the runway area abandoned.

Unkempt and unused, the airside of the peninsula became a veritable dump, where stolen goods and strange activities controlled, by its being in the remote area of the island’s International airport.

In 1999 in an effort to maintain ramp control of the movement of small private jets owned by the residents of Mill Reef, Jumby Bay and Coco Pointe, Barbuda, their operations were exiled to the defunct RWY10. Thus began the conversion of a U.S. Military Base to a General Aviation Complex, ultimately concentrated on corporate and private aviation for the Wealthy, Famous and Royals.

Soon clearing of the area for this upscale development began in earnest as Government leased land to a local aviation entrepreneur to establish Antigua’s first Fixed Base Operation which had been encouraged by the endorsement of the Mellons and other private aircraft owners, residents of Mill Reef and Barbuda & Jumby Bay.

Although fully converted to Private Aviation, the cordial relationship continued with US Base personnel, now guardians of the NASA Space program, to which the U.S. had elevated their activities on island.

The heavy military aircraft activity on RWY10 lessened and soon only the hurricane weather aircraft visited occasionally, as all U.S. military aircraft ceased using the newly converted Private aircraft Ramp at RWY10.

As Military Bases have their own Rules & Regulations, it is not in keeping with the protocols of this high-end aviation sector, to mix the two systems. It is for this reason that the Prime Minister’s refusal to allow Military Assets on RWY10 was accepted without question by the prior Head of the U.S. Southern Command. RWY10 remains a General Aviation area dedicated to High-End Operations.

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