The Frustrating Long Lines at the P.G.I.A.

If you’ve been at the Philip Goldson International Airport on a Saturday then you might have noticed the long lines of international visitors attempting to enter the country.   The snaking lines have been having an effect on passengers who have connecting flights to the islands. So what’s causing the long delays and processing? In December 2018, the Immigration Department implemented a fingerprinting system which caused a temporary delay in the processing of international travelers. But more recently, the congested lines are due to two reasons. We are told that infrastructure at the P.G.I.A. is a huge problem because the immigration and customs department at the airport has been outgrown. The number of flights arriving in the country on a Saturday is about twenty-five, with a majority of the planes landing between midday and three o’clock in the afternoon. Arriving visitors are also not properly filling out their arrival cards, causing the delay.  In November, Minister of Civil Aviation, Manuel Heredia announced that government plans to expand the P.G.I.A. in order to accommodate more airlines. The international airport was expanded only two years ago.