Thursday, June 8, 2006

An aerial view of the proposed Little Cayman airport

The development of the airport at Little Cayman will continue under the current administration, and may start this year, according to Tourism Minister, the Hon Charles Clifford, who has responsibility for Cayman Islands Airports Authority (CIAA).

Initial plans for the new runway were approved in August 1999 by the Cayman Brac and Little Cayman Development Control Board (DCB). Approval was appealed by several individuals, but the Appeal Board upheld the decision of the DCB.

In August 2003, then Aviation Minister Gilbert McLean announced at a public meeting on Cayman Brac that the position of the proposed new runway on Little Cayman had been "tweaked south to avoid deep swamp area".

These amendments to the Little Cayman Airport plan, passed in 1999, have not been approved by the DCB, and must be resubmitted to the Planning Department.

Little Cayman has been served for many years by the Edward Bodden Airfield, a grass strip runway, located next to Guy Banks Road and slightly west of Blossom Village. The
proposed airport will be constructed inland and further away from the village.

At a public People's Progressive Movement (PPM) meeting on Cayman Brac 2 June, Mr Clifford said this development might well run simultaneously with the redevelopment of the Owen Roberts Airport on Grand Cayman.

The Owen Roberts two to two and a half year project is expected to start in the final quarter of this year. The Minister explained that, when financing is secured for this project, they may wrap the Little Cayman airport in the same package.

Explaining delays in these projects, Mr Clifford referred to the separation in July 2004 of the Civil Aviation Authority of the Cayman Islands (CAACI) into two agencies - the CAACI and the CIAA.

This separated the regulatory function from the management of airports, and followed advice from the United Kingdom Civil Aviation Authority.

However, Mr Clifford said that, at the time of the formation of the two authorities, the assets of the former Aviation Authority were not properly distributed, with the result that neither could get properly audited financial reports.

This matter has now been resolved, and the CAACI and the CIAA are now able to access their assets.

At the meeting, Sister Islands MLA Moses Kirkconnell said that if the Little Cayman airstrip development did not continue, it would not be possible to upgrade the commuter aircraft for the Cayman Brac and Little Cayman.

The Cayman Express inter-island air service uses Twin Otter aircraft, which perform well under the restricted conditions on Little Cayman.

The proposed development of the new LC airport have been heavily criticized in the past, especially the particular location designated, which was chosen from a number of possible locations in 1999.

Some residents believe this is too close to the Booby Bird Pond Sanctuary, though a Department of Environment study of the flight pattern of the birds indicated that the

proposed location of the new runway would be outside their flight path.
However, Chairman of the Little Cayman chapter of the National Trust, Gladys Howard, claimed that the population of the Red Footed Booby Bird colony is increasing dramatically, and expanding in the direction of the new runway.

The colony is the largest in the region and recognized internationally as ecologically significant.

In addition, the LC Trust points out that the "tweaking" of the runway position, in order to avoid especially deep sinkholes, has moved it even closer to the bird sanctuary.

Ms Howard has frequently pointed out that there have been problems at the Gerrard Smith Airport on Cayman Brac, which is located next to a wetland area.

Bird-strikes with jet aircraft has been ongoing and very costly to Cayman Airways and would be replicated on Little Cayman if the airstrip is built in the proposed location, she claims.

Plans call for a 4,000-foot runway, and this would enable small jets to land on the Island, though not the commercial jets currently used by Cayman Airways.

On the Brac, birds have occasionally been sucked into the jet engines, severely disrupting service and adding huge repair costs to the airline. Solutions to the problem have included suggestions to drain the Westerly Ponds next to the airport.

The LC Trust has also pointed out that the new position of the proposed airstrip on Little Cayman does not avoid the swamp area and would still need huge amounts of fill, making the estimated cost unrealistic.

The Vision 2008 Little Cayman Roundtable proposed that the current airstrip, which is privately owned, be purchased by Government and upgraded.

However, CIAA CEO David Frederick told Cayman Net News in June 2005 that it would not be possible to get an FAA license for the airport in that location.

He said the main problem with the current airport is, "the proximity to the road and to nearby buildings and the only way forward is for a new airport."

Plans to build a new airport on Little Cayman had been talked about for the last 20 years, said Mr Frederick.

He agreed that at the proposed site there were some areas that need to be filled and some areas that are eight or nine feet high and would need to be leveled.

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