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$150M CJIA expansion project…Construction of new terminal must be justified
Approval of the expansion project will be hinged on a successful resolution of land disputes – Public Infrastructure Minister
Minister of Public Infrastructure, David Patterson has made it clear to the management of the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA) that while the new administration is not opposed to the expansion of the airport, some aspects of it need to be justified.
Minister of Public Infrastructure, David Patterson (second from right) speaking to CJIA officials
He made this comment following a tour on May 29, last where he was briefed on the design of the new terminal building and the relocation of individuals occupying lands near the CJIA.
The Minister told CJIA’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Ramesh Ghir, Officials of Guyana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) and engineers from his Ministry and CJIA that the information provided to him “was a lot to contemplate.”
Be that as it may, the Minister pointed out that “Government has no issue with the extension of the runway, but tangible justifications must be provided for the construction of a new terminal building since it hinges on the final cost of the project.”
Given Patterson’s concern for persons occupying CJIA’s land, he was informed of some relocation options, including the establishment of a housing scheme at Yarrowkabra, Linden Highway.
The Minister intimated however that the concern has to be addressed as a social issue and charged the stakeholders to arrive at an acceptable solution, since the approval of the expansion project will be hinged on a successful resolution of this matter.
As such, the team has undertaken to submit a comprehensive report of the Airport’s expansion project to the Minister by Friday.
This document will afford the Minister an opportunity to familiarize himself with the project before discussing it at Cabinet.
The airport expansion project was conceptualized under the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) administration and a contract was inked with China Harbour Engineering (CHEC) in 2011.
Key components of the expansion project include: The extension of the runway from 7,500 to 10,800 feet – to accommodate the BOEING 747-400 aircraft; Doubling of Aircraft Position from four to eight; installation of eight Passenger Boarding Bridges; and the fortification of the CCTV system with approximately 300 cameras.
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