Up Front
New Plans for Airport
There has been a lotof talk lately about upgrading and expansion of the Owen RobertsInternational Airport, the resurfacing of the Cayman Brac airstripand building of the Little Cayman airstrip. Cayman New News talkedwith the Director of Civil Aviation Authority Mr. Richard Smithwho gave some insight into the new plans.
"The first phase willbe the resurfacing of the Cayman Brac air strip. The project isslated to start in February and there are no plans to expand theterminal. There is adequate space for now for the type of operationthey have and that will take care of the Brac for a while,"said Mr. Smith.
Additionally, he spoke of the situation with Little Cayman's privately-owned,grass airstrip.
"There are plans for Government to build an airstrip on LittleCayman. As a regulator it is something that is desperately needed.While some people get a kick out of landing on a grass strip becauseit is unique it is not a satisfactory situation. But how far thiswill go will depend on the prioritisation of Government funds,"he stressed.
"I held a meeting with the Minister (for Tourism, Environmentand Transport) to look into the expansion to meet our operationaldemands on Grand Cayman. If we are to attract large aircraft,from Europe and South America, we need more space," he explained.
Other problems due to congestion are also hampering the situationat the airport such as the departure lounge bursting at the seamsdue to accommoding 500 people all at once on a daily basis. Mr.Smith explained that the airport could accommodate these numbersif the flights are staggered.
"It seems like everyone wants to travel the same time ofday. The airport was designed to accommodate three or four flightsat a time. There are times when the volume of people far exceedswhat the departure lounge was made for," he continued.
Mr. Smith noted however, that the expansion should not be a problembecause the original design of the airport could easily serveexpansion.
"At the moment we are looking at various situations. We haveto separate in-going and out-going passengers, so maybe a possiblesolution might be to add an upstair departure lounge, and onedownstairs for arrivals."
In addition to the terminal expansion, Cayman Net News has learntthat there are also plans to extend the run way to the east andwest, put in a parallel taxiway for safety and expand the apron.
Contacted for comment on the proposed airport expansion plans,Mr. David Foster, of Foster's Food Fair, stated that he has heard"rumours" of the plans, but would prefer to wait forconfirmation before commenting publicly.
The Hon. McKeeva Bush, the minister with responsibility for transportand the airport, has stated that he sees the need for boardwayswhere planes can dock and passengers, including handicapped persons,can board and de-plane without getting wet. He also said thereis also the need for a proper first class lounge.
Furthermore, Mr. Smith also indicated that there are plans toinstall a GPS system. "The Global Positioning System (GPS)is more accurate than the one we have now. He explains that itwould cover the three islands accommodate more than one airstripat a time."
"At the moment there is no official time frame, but I knowthe minister wants it done quickly. We are very excited aboutthe development. It is not only necessary; it is another breakthroughin the development of aviation locally," Mr. Smith said,adding that he looked forward to "great things to come."