The Office of the Governor and the Virgin Islands Port Authority will host a joint press conference at 11 a.m. on Wednesday, December 28, 2022, to announce the release of VIPA’s Request for Qualifications (RFQ) seeking an experienced private airport developer and operator to partner with the Authority to develop and operate the territory’s airports. Speaking at the press conference will be Governor Albert Bryan Jr, VIPA Executive Director Carlton Dowe, and Larry Belinsky, Managing Director of Frasca & Associates. Frasca is VIPA’s P3 and financial advisor.
The press conference will be held at the VIPA conference room in the Administrative Building at 8074 Lindbergh Bay, St. Thomas. The meeting will also be live-streamed on the Government House USVI and VIPA Facebook pages. The media is invited and will be allowed to ask questions regarding the announcement.
Media planning to attend in person must RSVP to VIPA Public Information Officer, Monifa Brathwaite, via email at info@viport.com.
Members of the media must identify their media outlet before asking a question.
VIPA's Board is currently exploring the feasibility of entering into a public-private partnership (P3) agreement with a private developer as a financial model for the modernization and upgrading of the Henry E. Rohlsen Airport and the Cyril E. King Airport. The RFQ will solicit firms and groups who may be interested and qualified to participate in a P3 airport financing project. Interested firms will be selected to submit a request for proposal for the financing of the airports’ modernization. Once a firm is selected, VIPA will negotiate a long-term contract with the firm to finance, design, build, operate and maintain the airports.