The refurbishment of Antigua鈥檚 international airport will not be completed in time for the Cricket World Cup in March as planned.

黑洞社区 has learned that about 70% of the work will be completed in time at VC Bird International Airport. Although frontline refurbishment will be ready, such as increased capacity at the departure lounge and the arrivals hall, behind-the-scenes work will not.

Facilities that are delayed include a new power generator and the areas where baggage passes from the aeroplane to the passenger.

Several British firms, including Reid Architecture and Scott Wilson, are working on the redevelopment, which is part of a 25-year masterplan for VC Bird.

It鈥檚 no good if passengers can鈥檛 get hold of their bags quickly

Project source

One project source said: 鈥淚t is okay for passengers if it all looks good, but it is no good if they can鈥檛 get hold of their baggage quickly.鈥�

But another source said most passengers would not notice that the back room facilities were incomplete.

The problem was caused by the Antiguan government鈥檚 decision to move from a traditional to a PPP-style contract. This delayed the procurement process, and the Brazilian contractor was not appointed until last month.