Politics
St Vincent prepares to open new international airport in 2014
Gonsalves told legislators that the laying of stony base materials on the runway, which started in September 2013, was slated to continue this month. When the laying of the base is completed, the placing of the final layers of asphalt and concrete pavement of the aprons, taxiways, and runway, will commence.
The authorities state that installation of the lighting equipment will be done during the first quarter of the year. However, work on the control tower and aircraft rescue and fire fighting building have yet to begin. The construction of these facilities is slated for completion in August.
The IADC has made a deposit on three fire-fighting trucks and equipment to allow for their delivery by September 2014. The contract for the construction of the air cargo terminal is expected to be awarded by March 2014, for completion of construction by September 2014.
Furthermore, Gonsalves said the IADC was holding talks with relevant private operators for the financing, construction, and operation of a fixed based operation and several aircraft hangars, adding that work on these projects would begin soon.
But Opposition leader Arnhim Eustace is not impressed. He has pointed to the level of disbursement, rather than the scale of works or the availability of funds, as he casts doubts on the Prime Minister’s prediction. “This level of disbursement, which I anticipate can exceed EC$250 million, if everything was to go as planned, will not be achieved,” said the former prime minister.
Furthermore, he stated, “We do not have the implementation capacity … and our history shows it. … It is rare that we have ever exceeded 100 million dollars [in a year]…I therefore, have grave doubt about our ability to complete the airport in 2014,”
When completed, the airport will have a runway 9,000 feet long and 150 feet wide. The passenger terminal building, which has separate sections for domestic and international travellers, is designed to handle about 1.5 million passengers annually.
