PROVIDENCIALES, Turks & Caicos Islands--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Provo Air Center (PAC) has applied to the Court of Appeal, seeking to overturn last month’s refusal by the Supreme Court to review the legality of recent decisions by the Turks & Caicos Islands Airport Authority (TCIAA) and representatives of the British Crown. The petition specifically looked at the establishment of a private Fixed Based Operation (FBO) on land initially identified for compulsory acquisition for the express purpose of expanding the public airport facilities. The Supreme Court cited statute of limitations concerns, despite PAC’s insistence that transgressions and alleged illegalities were discovered after the deadline.
Lyndon Gardiner, Provo Air Center’s founder and chairman, classified the actions by past agents of the British Crown and the TCIAA as an apparent illegal land grab. “We are confident that a full Court hearing after full disclosure of documents will show regulators acted illegally and under significant conflicts of interest,” said Gardiner. “The Court of Appeal must act once the judges hear how the Crown and TCIAA improperly seized private lands through the compulsory acquisition process, repeatedly ignored multiple requests for information on the dealings, and ultimately violated multiple laws for a 99-year sweetheart deal for foreign-controlled investors reportedly close to the past interim administration.”
Gardiner added that the public and local businesses are demonstrably harmed by the seizure of the land, as the construction of a second private FBO in that location precludes a much needed parallel taxiway development. He cited the lack of ability to improve the commercial airport as raising serious safety and operational concerns for TCI’s critical tourism sector.
Provo Air Center is a wholly owned subsidiary of Interisland Aviation Services, a company that Gardiner, the Turks and Caicos native, founded in 2001 in his efforts to provide quality jobs and services in his home country’s travel and tourism industry.
The second FBO, “Blue Heron”, is owned by M Aviation Ltd. with overseas shareholders. M Aviation holds a licensing agreement with Signature Flight Support group. PAC has named Blue Heron FBO, M Aviation and Signature Flight Support as interested parties to the legal challenge. Signature Flight Support is a BBA Aviation company, listed on the London Stock Exchange (symbol BBA).
