CJIA runway shutdown… Borrowed portable lights from B’dos expected today

Aug 14, 2008 News

Borrowed portable lights from Barbados are expected to arrive in Guyana today to assist in the alleviation of the tense situation at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport, just as Guyana prepares to host Carifesta X.

With eight days to go before the grand opening, the airport runway was again in darkness last evening as airlines continue to reschedule their flights.

Yesterday, Minister of Public Works, Robeson Benn told the media that the disruption in flight scheduling relates to night landings and take-offs. He said that the most affected airlines are Caribbean Airlines and LIAT.

According to the Minister, it will take a number of weeks before the regular system is fully restored and some 12 weeks before the light replacements would arrive from Australia.

In the meantime, the immediate resort was to borrow solar lights from Grantley Adams International Airport, Barbados.

But borrowing the lights comes at a heavy cost since the structures weigh at least 1,000 pounds and Guyana has to pay the freight for the air transport.

However, if Guyana had to purchase the solar lights it would cost at least US$2,500 for each structure.
Speaking to the media yesterday, Minister Benn said that 60 lights are needed on the runway but currently the country only has 30.

He said once the portable lights arrive, the airport can function normally, until the permanent fixtures are restored.

Explaining the present situation at the airport, Minister Benn said that on July 29, last, a lightning strike at the airport caused extensive damage to a number of electric items while at the same time damaging the runway light circuits.

He added that on Monday last, the situation worsened when another thunder storm passed over the area.
“We have had severe strikes at the airport and particularly the one on July 29…the strike resulted in damage to the runway lighting systems and other facilities related to the airport operation, standby operation, the VHF radio communications, computer equipment…both in the tower and airport building.”

A summary of the general weather conditions for Guyana from the Hydrometeorological Office at Timehri, on Monday last, stated that ‘mostly fair weather conditions are expected over Guyana.’

However, Minister Benn claimed that despite the fact that a thunderstorm may not have rain complementing it, there are always ‘dry lightning strikes’.

The runway lighting system at the airport, he said, consists of 102 lamps on two circuits and both these circuits were damaged.

“We have managed over the last two weeks to bring back up the systems with the spares we had on hand….and this restoration used up all the spares.

We have to replace major portions of cable…and we have imported additional lights for replacement, generators for the lights, connectors, as well as various other attachments to be able to get the fixed system back in place.”

Over the past few days, the Minister said, attempts have been made to source spares and replacements from Australia, UK, North America and Brazil.

The present lighting system was installed in 2004 and the engineers who installed the lights will be in Guyana soon to conduct an assessment. In the meantime, he said, it is hoped that the portable lights will serve as a viable substitute.

Commenting on the issue of articles being stolen from the country’s lone air navigational unit, to the sum of $1.3M, the Minister said that “we have had a few instances of break and entering which resulted in the theft of fuel and a battery.” He claimed that one drum of fuel was stolen along with a single battery.

“When I left the airport today (yesterday) I reminded them again that CAA (Civil Aviation Authority) must employ security persons to be at the VOR.”

Minister Benn also claimed that the $1.3M might have been the sum for the total cost of articles stolen from the air navigation unit. He added that the GCAA is now reviewing some security issues.

On July 29 last, lightning knocked out the electricity supply to the Guyana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) tower and the entire airport.

However, the situation worsened after the back-up generator went down when a flight was about to land at the airport.

Efforts by technicians and controllers stationed there averted disaster when an approaching Sky Services aircraft almost ran off the runway. (Tusika Martin)