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Cyril E. King International Airport (STT) Tarmac Delay Contingency Plan Cyril E. King International Airport has prepared this Tarmac Delay Contingency Plan pursuant to §42301 of the FAA Modernization and Reform Act of 2012. Questions regarding this plan can be directed to Jerome M. Sheridan Territorial Airport Manager/Acting Operations Manager at jsheridan@viport.com. Cyril E. King International Airport is filing this plan with the Department of Transportation because (1) it is a commercial airport or (2) this airport may be used by an air carrier described in USC 42301(a)(1) for diversions. This plan describes how, following excessive tarmac delays and to the extent practicable, Cyril E King International Airport will: • Provide for the deplanement of passengers; • Provide for the sharing of facilities and make gates available at the airport; and • Provide a sterile area following excessive tarmac delays for passengers who have not yet cleared United States Customs & Border Protection (CBP). The Cyril E. King International Airport has facility constraints that limit its ability to accommodate diverted flights and strongly encourages aircraft operators to contact the airport for prior coordination of diverted flights, except in the case of a declared in-flight emergency. Specific facility constraints include the following: ➢ Limited availability of aircraft parking aprons or gates, ➢ Ground support equipment needed to deplane aircraft (limited to availability by airlines and/or fixed base operators), ➢ The operating hours and availability of critical government agencies such as TSA and CBP. Airport Information Name of Airport: Cyril E. King Airport Name and title of person preparing the plan: Jerome M. Sheridan Territorial Airport Manager/Acting Operations Manager Preparer contact number: (340) 714-6662 Preparer contact e-mail: jsheridan@viport.com Date of submission of plan: June 24, 2022 Airport Category: Small Hub Contact Information In the event of diversion or other irregular operations events, aircraft operators should contact the Airport Operations Department for assistance. 2 | P a g e Plan to Provide for the Deplanement of Passengers Following Excessive Tarmac Delays The purpose of this plan is to establish a partnership between the Virgin Islands Port Authority, Passenger Airlines at STT, Transportation Security Administration, STT Concession Operators, Federal Aviation Administration, US Customs and Ground Support Service providers to assist the passenger airlines that serve STT or divert to STT in the event a flight becomes delayed for any reason and passengers are on-board the aircraft for long periods of time. The Cyril E. King International Airport does not own or operate any of the equipment needed to safely deplane passengers from air carrier aircraft and is, therefore, unable on its own to provide for the deplanement of passengers. Additionally, airport personnel are not trained to assist in the deplanement of passengers using equipment owned or operated by air carriers or contract service providers. However, we have requested that each airline, ground handler and FBO operation on the airport provide us with a list of the equipment and resources they have for deplaning passengers and contact information. We will provide this inventory and contact information to airlines as soon as practicable after receiving requests from such airlines experiencing excessive tarmac delays. Plan to Provide for the Sharing of Facilities and Make Gates Available in an Emergency There are currently 10* gates available at the Cyril E. King International Airport, which are under preferential and/or exclusive leases to air carriers and are not fully controlled by the airport. We will direct our common use gate lessees, permittees or users to make gates available to an air carrier seeking to deplane at a gate to the maximum extent practicable. If additional gates are needed, we will direct tenant air carriers to make preferential and/or exclusive use gates and other facilities available to an air carrier seeking to deplane at a gate, during those time periods when the tenant airline is not using, or not scheduled to use, the gates, to the maximum extent practicable. *The number of gates will change based on current conditions such as airline mergers and consolidations, construction projects, and other factors. Plan to Provide a Sterile Area for Passengers Who Have Not Cleared United States Customs and Border Protection Cyril E. King International Airport has defined sterile areas capable of accommodating limited numbers of international passengers. We will coordinate with local CBP officials to develop procedures that will allow international passengers who have not yet cleared United States Customs and Border Protection to be deplaned into these sterile areas to the extent practicable. 3 | P a g e Basic Plan This document directly supports airline plans where the Virgin Islands Port Authority, other STT airlines, various Federal agencies that support flight operations at STT, and other service providers will attempt to coordinate and support to the best of their abilities the essential services to accommodate the needs of the passengers in the unlikely event of an extended on-board long term ground delay. Distribution – This document shall be distributed to the following persons or organizations at STT: Virgin Islands Port Authority Staff, All Passenger Airline Managers, Concession Managers, TSA FSD, FAA ATCT, US Customs, STT FBOs. Definitions – VIPA Virgin Islands Port Authority, the owner and operator of the Cyril E. King International Airport LTD Lengthy Tarmac Delay means the holding of an aircraft on the ground either before taking off or landing with no opportunity for its passengers to deplane. LTD Critical Time The maximum time according to §§ 259.4 is 3 hours. Plan – Each airline at STT maintains individual plans to deal with “Lengthy Tarmac Delay” recovery operations. STT is also highly utilized as a diversion airport for many airlines that do not serve Cyril E. King International Airport on a regular basis. The Virgin Islands Port Authority (VIPA) will assist air carriers to the best of its ability upon request. To ensure the best level of service, airlines initiating their respective LTD plans should contact the Airport Operations Office at (340) 201-0098 or (340) 201-2598 and notify the airport of either a LTD Advisory or a LTD parking request. LTD Advisory – A “Lengthy Tarmac Delay” advisory is made by an airline when it has a flight that is approaching trigger point in which the aircraft must return to the airline’s gate or parking area to deplane the passengers. An Airport Operations Agent, Officer, or Supervisor will initiate notifications to the appropriate personnel advising them of a LTD operation is in progress. LTD Parking Request – Essentially the same as a LTD advisory, except the airline does not have an available gate or may not be represented at STT and is requesting the use of a vacant gate (or remote parking area) from the VIPA. The airport will assign parking based on availability and LTD critical times (typically a maximum of three 4 | P a g e hours and passengers must be off the aircraft). Airport Operations maintains a list of available parking gates and locations. Airport LTD Contacts – In the event the Airport Operations Office is notified of a LTD, the communications center shall immediately notify the LTD Advisory List members (in priority order): Airport LTD Advisory List 1) Airport Operations (On Duty or Supervisor) 2) Airport Police Duty Officer 3) Airport ARFF Duty Officer 4) Custodial Services Supervisor 5) TSA Coordination Center 6) Concession Duty Managers 7) Airport PIO 8) Operations Manager Airline LTD Contacts – It is the airlines responsibility to notify and coordinate other support service such as: Airline LTD Contacts 1) US Customs (if the flight is international) 2) Ground Transportation 3) FBO or other support organizations VIPA Department Roles and Responsibilities – In the event of a LTD notification, various VIPA departments may be called upon to provide essential support services to the passengers. Airport Operations – Facilitate requests for aircraft parking, collect information for appropriate airport logs. Ensure that all rules and regulations regarding the flight operations are enforced. Assist airlines and passengers whenever possible. When notified of an LTD request, Airport Operations shall: 1) Assign a parking location based on: a. Time of request b. LTD Critical Time 2) Keep STT ATCT Advised of all irregular parking locations. 5 | P a g e 3) If the majority of the airport’s aircraft gates or hard stands become unavailable due to the volume of traffic, Airport Operations shall convey this information to the STT Airline General Managers via any available means: so they inform their respective operations centers the no additional aircraft parking is available at STT. Airport Police – Provide security and passenger assistance as needed. May be needed to provide escort or vehicle searches if off-airport transportation vehicles are needed to deplane the passengers. Ensure that all security regulations are enforced. ARFF – Standby by to provide emergency services if needed. In addition, the ARFF Duty Officer may be asked to provide support to the Operations Supervisor if the Supervisor is Off Airport at the time of the notification. Custodial Services – Ensure that passenger facilities are maintained for use for the duration of a LTD event. PIO – Public Information duties as needed. Maintenance – Provide support service as needed to maintain the facility, provide escorts or other services such as transportation using the VIPA vehicles in case of emergency. Security Information – During all LTD operations, all participants must comply with the Airport Security Plan and TSA regulations. Deplaned passengers that are not returned to the sterile area must be taken to the public side to be rescreened before boarding a flight. A reminder, after hours this service may not be available until the next day. Shuttle Process for Screened Passengers The following procedures have been developed and approved for the transportation of screened passengers from aircraft located on the AOA to the sterile area of the Cyril E. King International Airport. These procedures are only to be used in situations where it is not possible/practical for screened passengers to be directly deplaned into the sterile area of the airport. Passenger Transportation: A. The VIPA SIDA-badged employee transporting passengers must insure a SIDA-badged aircraft operator employee is always present (including in the vehicle) during the transportation of passengers and accessible property to the sterile area of the airport. 6 | P a g e B. All individuals and accessible property loaded into the vehicle(s) must be transported directly to the sterile area. C. In the event the VIPA SIDA-badged employee experiences difficulty in controlling passengers during transportation to the sterile area, they must notify the respective aircraft operator Ground Security Coordinator (GSC) immediately. Public Access to the Tarmac Delay Contingency Plan Cyril E. King International Airport will provide public access to its Tarmac Delay Contingency plan by posting a copy of the plan on the airport’s website and by providing notice of its availability on the airport social media account.