Cayman Airways flights into Little Cayman will continue uninterrupted as its aviation exemption to fly into the Edward Bodden Airfield will not cease after September, Tourism Minister Kenneth Bryan has assured.
Bryan, speaking in Parliament on Wednesday, sought to allay fears that flights would have been impacted when the extension on the exemption, which has been granted by the Civil Aviation Authority, expires at the end of September.
“I am confident, after conversations with Her Excellency [Governor Jane Owen], as well as the person in charge of the Civil Aviation Authority Mr. Richard Smith, there will be a solution that allows him to continue the extension,” Bryan said.
Over the last 20 years, Cayman Airways has been allowed to operate flights using an ‘exemption of airworthiness’ from the Civil Aviation Authority as the existing airfield does not meet international safety regulations.
The Governor’s Office, in a statement to the Cayman Compass on the issue on Sunday, said the Little Cayman airport “needs to be upgraded in order to continue to be able to operate planes in and out. The choice is either to improve the airport on the current location or build a new one elsewhere.”
Little Cayman airport situation ‘very delicate’
Bryan, following questions from Cayman Brac West and Little Cayman MP Moses Kirkconnell on the issue in Parliament, said the Little Cayman airport situation is a “very delicate one”.
He acknowledged that the Civil Aviation Authority’s exemption cannot continue indefinitely and government has to confirm its position on the Little Cayman airport.
However, he said, there are many complexities involved in making a decision on how to proceed with the airport, especially in light of the strong feelings from members of the Little Cayman community who wish to keep the airport at its present location.
A petition, headed by the Sister Islands Tourism Association president Peter Quilliam, is currently making the rounds, affirming that residents of the island oppose any plan to move the airfield.
Bryan said government is trying to strike a balance on the issue, which is “challenging”.
“We are trying to preserve the uniqueness that Little Cayman offers by way of its culture and its tourism product [and,] at the same time, having an advanced infrastructure and transportation system that can deliver the top-level quality that we deliver to the world,” he said. He added that this had to be done in line with Cayman’s international transportation obligations.
Cayman Airways, he said, has purchased another Twin Otter plane for the Little Cayman route, which was in the process of being customised to meet Cayman Airways technical specifications and the required maintenance status.
The aircraft is expected to be delivered next month, he said.
The cost of the aircraft was not released.
Fleet review underway
Bryan said there were a number of factors to consider regarding the Little Cayman airport, and this would also impact Cayman Airways as it looks to reduce its fleet to two types of aircraft.
A draft consultancy report on identifying an optimal replacement for the Cayman Airways Saab fleet is currently being evaluated by the national flag carrier, the tourism minister said.
The airline expects to present options for replacement aircraft and models to government within the next 30 days, which will then facilitate government’s decision on initial and future funding, as well as establishing realistic timelines for the procurement process, he said.
No clear timeline for any purchases can be provided, Bryan said, as it would also be contingent on the decision for the Little Cayman airport, its location and construction.
That, he said, would not happen in this term or the next.
Bryan said a location had been identified for the airport on Crown land, but constructing the facility there presents environmental issues that would have to be addressed in an environmental impact assessment.
Little Cayman’s aerodrome is unlicensed, relying on the Civil Aviation Authority’s exemption of airworthiness to operate, and is located on privately-owned land. Consultants hired by government to make recommendations regarding Cayman’s three airports in 2022 advised that the airport did not meet international safety standards and that there was an urgent need to relocate the aerodrome.
Bryan told MPs that his initial position is that the current location of the airfield “will not be feasible for a number of factors, from financing, from legal challenges, to property ownership, from moving of communities, road infrastructure, and so forth”.
However, he said it was not for him to determine as minister, but he would be taking a report to caucus to confirm the government’s position on the airport.
He said if the data indicates that it will be “too onerous from the government, or any government for that fact, to move to try to upgrade the current location”, then the airport must be relocated.
The environmental challenges that comes with the new location, he said, will be ones that can be “mitigated by a proper environmental impact assessment”.
Bryan said the government will be an a good financial position to get the money needed to transition to new ATR aircraft which will allow Cayman Airways to manage its operating and maintenance costs with only two types of aircraft.
“We will be able to give the necessary funding to continue the transportation into the vital island of Little Cayman,” he added.
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