Parliament Approves US$10 Airport Charge Increase to Fund Aviation, Regional Obligations

The House of Representatives on Tuesday passed the Airport Administration Charge (Amendment) Bill, 2026, approving a US$10 increase in the airport administration charge for passengers travelling outside the Caribbean, with Prime Minister Gaston Browne saying the measure is designed to strengthen regional aviation, improve airport infrastructure and provide more reliable funding for key regional institutions.

Browne told Parliament the increase forms part of a wider agreement among Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) and CARICOM leaders to establish a more predictable system of financing regional institutions.

He said member states have accumulated tens of millions of dollars in unpaid contributions over the years, with Antigua and Barbuda itself carrying arrears for decades.

“As far as practicable, countries should move towards some form of automaticity of payment,” Browne said, explaining that the additional revenue would help address longstanding funding shortfalls.

The prime minister said US$2.50 of the additional charge will be allocated to the Eastern Caribbean Civil Aviation Authority (ECCAA), which he described as essential to Antigua and Barbuda’s efforts to regain Category 1 aviation safety status from the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

He said restoring Category 1 status is critical if LIAT and other regional carriers are to operate flights to U.S. destinations, including the U.S. Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico and the U.S. mainland.

“There are many people in the U.S. Virgin Islands who have petitioned us to try and get flights directly between the Virgin Islands and Antigua and Barbuda, and even OECS countries,” Browne said. “But again, we cannot achieve that unless we restore Category 1 status.”

Browne praised ECCAA Director Anthony Whitaker and his team for correcting deficiencies identified during previous reviews and said he is optimistic the authority will regain Category 1 status following an FAA assessment later this year.

He warned, however, that regaining the designation would not be enough unless the regional aviation regulator is adequately financed.

According to Browne, ECCAA needs to construct a new headquarters in Antigua and Barbuda because its current facilities cannot accommodate sufficient staff. He said the guaranteed revenue stream would help provide the authority with the financial stability needed to support the project.

“So at least US$2.50 of the US$10 is going to go to ECCAA,” he said.

Beyond aviation, Browne said the increase will also allow Antigua and Barbuda to make more regular payments to OECS and CARICOM institutions, reduce chronic arrears, support climate resilience initiatives and ensure adequate resources for maintaining the country’s airport infrastructure.

He noted that the government recently invested approximately US$55 million to repair and expand V.C. Bird International Airport and said the new revenue will help preserve that investment through ongoing maintenance.

Browne emphasized that regional travellers will not be affected by the increase.

He said there will be no increase in airport charges for travel within the Caribbean, with the additional US$10 applying only to passengers travelling between Antigua and Barbuda and destinations outside the region.

“It doesn’t affect regional individuals… there’s no increase in the regional charge,” Browne told legislators. “This is for individuals traveling externally from Antigua and Barbuda, external to the region.”

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