During the recent Ministers’ visit, Little Cayman residents expressed interest in government’s next step regarding the proposed site for a new airport.
Plans for an airport on the island have been in the works since the mid 1970s, but various issues have continued to stall the project, said a GIS press release.
Officials from the Cayman Islands Airports Authority attended the site visit on 25 August to review the project’s current status with Minister of District Administration and Leader of Government Business Kurt Tibbetts; Minister of Tourism, Environment, Investment and Commerce Charles Clifford; Sister Islands MLA Moses Kirkconnell, and other government representatives.
‘We have asked the CIAA to ensure that this government is proceeding in a manner that will positively impact residents here in the future,’ said Minister Clifford. ‘We expect an increase in tourism throughout the Sister Islands and in order to safely accommodate this rise, we need to ensure that our airport facilities meet international safety standards,’ he added.
The new plan calls for a 4,000-foot long runway that will initially be 75 feet wide. Located on Crown property approximately a half-mile northeast of Spot Bay Road, and about a half-mile south of North Coast Road West, the current site was selected after much deliberation over many years by past and present administrations, the release said.
‘Cost is one issue regarding the project but everyone must understand that air transport is an essential service,’ commented Senior Manager of Engineering and Projects for CIAA, Brian Tomlinson.
‘People need to come and go but it’s not limited to that; we have to consider mail, supplies, emergency medical evacuation, tourists, and residents. If we don’t continue to provide a reliable air service then another means would have to be investigated. The bottom line is that air services must be available, and at a safe location that meets modern international criteria.’
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