St. Lucia is moving to diversify its airport services to allow it to compete more aggressively for high-end users with neighboring Caribbean countries, airport officials have disclosed.

Vincent Hippolyte, General Manager of the St. Lucia Air and Seaports Authority (SLASPA) said the commissioning a new immigration and customers service system at the country's airports would allow it to compete with facilities in Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Grenada and St. Kitts and Nevis.

The system called the Fixed Based Operator (FBO) is an aviation and airport host service catering to the high-end traffic of visiting private aircraft owners and their pilots.

The FBO, which will be headquartered at the Hewanorra International Airport in the south of the island, will provide a satellite service at the George Charles Airport in the capital, Hippolyte said.

"It will be designed to free general aviation and private corporate aircraft owners and crew of the hassle involved at departure and arrival terminals," Hippolyte said adding that "such a service at the island's two airports will help accelerate economic activity since the FBO will attract aircraft owners and pilots and importantly high profile clients wishing to travel unobserved by the usual crowd."