The new billion-dollar ANR Robinson International Airport terminal will be opened soon.So said Minister of Works and Infrastructure Jearlean John following the National Infrastructure Development Company (NIDCO) officially handing over the full package of certifications, warranty documentation and operating manuals to the Ministry of Transportation and Civil Aviation and the Airports Authority of Trinidad and Tobago (AATT) yesterday.This transition process formally bridges the gap from partial completion in March 2025 to full operational readiness through the physical handover of the requisite documentation—namely, certifications, warranties and operating manuals.Documentation was presented to Transport and Civil Aviation Minister Eli Zakour, Chief Secretary of the Tobago House of Assembly Farley Augustine, and representatives of the Airports Authority of Trinidad and Tobago.Also present at yesterday’s handover of certifications and documentations was Secretary for Tourism Zorisha Hackett, as well as NIDCO’s chairman and president.“They have to open the airport; the Chief Secretary was there; collaboratively, they have already come up with a date,” John said.Fuelling of aircrafts will not be an issue as a short-term measure has been realised in the interim: “They have a mechanism to treat with it in the short term. This week we are going to have a meeting with all of the stakeholders...they have a solution that would not keep back the opening of the airport,” she said.Aggressive marketing planAn aggressive marketing plan by Chief Secretary Farley Augustine is on the horizon, John said. “Millions of people should be coming into Tobago—it’s just so beautiful and diverse with that beauty, so the Chief Secretary has indicated they have an aggressive marketing plan. He is very focused on that. The Secretary for Tourism...also spoke—they are very focused on these things. We had a very positive meeting; [the results of] all of that would be transferred into very short-term action.”John told the Express that Cabinet has been advised on the operationalisation of the ANR Robinson International Airport.According to her, the new terminal building holds international aviation, safety and environmental certifications, including two LEED certifications from the US Green Building Council and compliance certifications under IATA, ICAO and FAA frameworks, which form the legal authority upon which the facility is licensed to operate. These are accompanied by contractor and manufacturer warranties covering all principal building systems, and a complete set of technical operating manuals prescribing the maintenance, safety and operational procedures required for the day-to-day management of the terminal.“What is transferred today is a certified, commissioned and fully documented terminal building. The certifications are its legal authority to operate, the warranties protect the public’s investment, and the operating manuals must guide every maintenance decision from this day forward,” John said.NIDCO conducted the partial completion of the terminal in March 2025. In the period between partial completion and yesterday’s handover of technical documents, an extensive programme of works brought the facility to operational readiness.This included completion of taxiway asphalt pavement; installation and commissioning of the airfield lighting system; integration of the constant current regulator with the air traffic control tower; MEP systems testing and commissioning; baggage handling and security inspection equipment commissioning; and the operational readiness, activation and transition (ORAT) programme facilitated by Munich Airport International.The ORAT programme brought together key operational stakeholders including the Airports Authority, Immigration, Customs, the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service, the Fire Service, Port, Health, Swissport, Caribbean Airlines and Plant Quarantine to develop standard operating procedures, train staff, and do trials in preparation for the opening of the terminal.With the handover of formalised documentation, the terminal enters its operational phase under the stewardship of the Ministry of Transport and Civil Aviation and the Airports Authority of Trinidad and Tobago. The completion of this process represents a significant step toward the activation and operationalisation of a modern international aviation facility in service of Tobago’s long-term economic development.Chairman of the Tobago arm of the Trinidad and Tobago Chamber of Industry and Commerce Curtis Williams said:“It is due for that terminal to be opened, from the tour. I can see things happening there. The concessionaires are the ones missing now to get this building alive—so we expect those coming in soon. Once those come in, then we can say: yes, we expect the opening to be in the next two to three months. But so far, I have not seen the concessionaires built out in their spaces as yet, so let’s keep our fingers crossed. We need to get things going. We want for the upcoming winter season [that] the terminal building is open and we are using it—that’s very, very important,” Williams said.President of the Tobago Hotel and Tourism Association Reginald Mac Lean echoed similar sentiments in wanting the opening of the new terminal building.