Argyle International Airport Clarifies No FAA Downgrade Occurred

December 9, 2025 at 09:35 PM•1 min read

Argyle International Airport confirmed it was not downgraded by the US FAA, clarifying that a temporary runway weight restriction was for scheduled

Key Points

1Argyle International Airport (AIA) explicitly denied media reports of an FAA downgrade on December 9, 2025.
2AIA temporarily limited runway operating weight on December 7, 2025, to conduct essential repair works.
3Normal runway operations were fully restored by December 8, 2025, following the successful completion of maintenance.
4The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is a US-based civil aviation regulatory body.

Argyle International Airport Inc. (AIA Inc.), the managing body for Argyle International Airport in St. Vincent and the Grenadines, has publicly refuted recent media reports suggesting that the airport had been downgraded by the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). In a statement released on December 9, 2025, AIA Inc. explicitly clarified that "the Argyle International Airport was not downgraded by the FAA." The US FAA is the primary regulatory body overseeing civil aviation in the United States, responsible for air traffic control, aircraft certification, and airport safety standards.

The reports of a downgrade stemmed from a precautionary measure taken by AIA Inc. to temporarily restrict the operating weight of aircraft utilizing its runway. This decision was implemented on Sunday, December 7, 2025, to facilitate essential repair works on the runway surface. Following the successful and timely completion of these maintenance operations, normal runway capabilities and full operational status were restored by Monday, December 8, 2025.

Argyle International Airport commenced operations on February 14, 2017, and serves as a key hub connecting St. Vincent and the Grenadines with destinations across North America, the United Kingdom, and the wider Caribbean region.