IT HAS recently been announced that the Sangster International airport in Montego Bay, following its divestment to private sector operators, has been upgraded to a category which by international standards is just one below the highest rating. Now comes news that facilities at the Norman Manley airport in Kingston are to be improved at a cost of some $96 million. Tankweld Special projects has been awarded a $60-million contract to construct a new three-storey steel building which will serve as a departure concourse, and Zimmcor Ltd. has entered into a $35-million contract to provide the glass curtain wall cladding for the steel building which will provide natural illumination and a splendid view of the airport complex.
The work is estimated to be completed by September which may be somewhat optimistic but we think that the important fact coming out of the announcement by Minister of Transport and Works Robert Pickersgill is that Kingston will have a modern airport in time for the Cricket World Cup in 2007. New airport facilities in Montego Bay are important for the island's tourist industry but it is equally appropriate and vital that Kingston, our capital city, should be served by an airport that is up to international standards.
Whether such upgraded facilities should continue to be located at the Palisadoes or should be relocated to Vernamfield will be a crucial decision for the Government. The weight of opinion, which we support, is that the Norman Manley airport should remain where it is, but recent encounters with hurricanes Dennis and Emily have shown that this location is vulnerable to being cut off from access when the Palisadoes road is inundated and damaged by wave action across the narrow strip.
Engineering studies will have to be undertaken to see if some form of reinforcing structure can be constructed to protect the Palisadoes road surface in heavy weather. Another solution might be a sky bridge above the harbour connecting Kingston directly to the airport. The most dramatic example of this that we know of is in San Diego in the United States. Another obvious back-up strategy would be the availability of ferry boats to transport air passengers to and from the airport.
Now is the time for these decisions to be carefully considered and implemented. The worst case scenario would be to continue to vacillate between two alternatives and end up doing nothing.
THE OPINIONS ON THIS PAGE, EXCEPT FOR THE ABOVE, DO NOT NECESSARILY REFLECT THE VIEWS OF THE GLEANER.
