RLB International Airport 'Not for Sale', confirms St Kitts and Nevis Government

Robert L Bradshaw International Airport, which has served as a harbour for tourism in St Kitts and Nevis for years, is not for sale. The Airport is owned by the government of St Kitts and Nevis under the St. Christopher Air and Sea Ports Authority (SCASPA) 

The clarification was issued by the government of St Kitts and Nevis on Thursday. The announcement was made after social media and media personality Ian ‘Patches’ Liburd made unfounded and false claims on his podcast “Straight Talk”.  

He alleged that the airport project has been sold to a private entity in secret. The truth of the matter is that the expansion of the international airport project was officially announced and documented. Official sources confirm that the expansion of the RLB International Airport Project is being done under the Public Benefit Option of St Kitts and Nevis Citizenship by Investment (CBI) Programme. 

The announcement for the same was made on social media in December 2024. The Caribbean Infrastructure Development Corporation (CIDC) has been actively working with the government on this project. 

The organization’s involvement is also out in the open and the expansion is being promoted as a flagship project for the CBI. Contrary to these facts, Ian ‘Patches’ Liburd claimed in his podcast that Prime Minister Dr Terrance Drew has signed an agreement with the CIDC.  

He claimed that the administration will Privatise the RLB International Airport under the Public Benefit Option. However, the experts have denied these claims in favor of all the facts that the administration made public.  

The administration has confirmed that no transfer of ownership or control has taken place. The reports suggesting that the airport was ‘sold off’ or privatized are entirely false and holds no merit. 

It is to be noted that Ian Liburd served as the Minister of Public Infrastructure and Transport during the previous administration. During this period, the Former Minister was accused of serious breaches of airport protocol. 

Further, the implications had been so serious that the safety rating of the airport was downgraded by global authorities. According to the reports from experts, Ian Liburd misbehaved with security officials and bypassed airport security.  

The experts noted that instead of addressing these breaches, the previous administration had hushed them up and tried to bury the reports as rumours.