US Virgin Islands Hotel & Tourism Association
The Cyril E. King Airport terminal on St. Thomas was severely damaged by Hurricane Irma and again by Hurricane Maria, less than two weeks later.
The entire roof was damaged and windows were blown in, which led to extensive flooding and destruction of property. The VI Port Authority reopened the terminal to limited commercial traffic on Sept. 28 – just nine days after the passing of Maria. This was a remarkable accomplishment given the extent of damages sustained at CEKA. Most airlines have resumed service to St. Thomas, but are only offering one flight per day until repairs to the terminal are completed.
VIPA is pleased to report that American Airlines has recently added a second daily flight to St. Thomas. The damaged terminal gates have been repaired and the preclearance area at the CEKA terminal is ready to accept travelers. However, normal operations will not resume until TSA has completed an assessment of its equipment and staffing, which were both affected by the hurricanes. VIPA’s goal is to fully reopen the CEKA terminal by mid-December.
The Henry E. Rohlsen Airport on St. Croix reopened to commercial traffic on Oct. 5. American Airlines and JetBlue have resumed service to St. Croix.