Improvements to the main airports on Grand Cayman and Cayman Brac took a step closer with the Cayman Islands Airports Authority asking for environmental impact assessment services regarding larger runways at both sites.
Two requests for proposals have been issued on the government’s Bonfire procurement portal, asking prospective bidders to submit proposals for EIAs before a 29 April deadline.
Expansion plans
The Airports Authority’s 2041 Master Plan, which was released in 2023, laid out plans for the development of all three airports in the Cayman Islands – with Little Cayman’s airfield included – and identified some priority ‘sub-projects’, at a total estimated cost of almost $76 million, which were approved by the then Cabinet.
They included a plan to extend the Owen Roberts International Airport runway into the North Sound, a new general aviation terminal for private jets at ORIA, and safety work at the end of the runway at the Charles Kirkconnell International Airport on Cayman Brac.
A year later, Cayman Compass reported that international engineering consultancy firm Royal HaskoningDHV has been selected to develop the terms of reference for the EIAs for the airport projects and these latest requests for proposals are to decide who will carry out the EIA assessments themselves.
According to the 2041 Airports Master plan, a runway extension is required to meet market demand for long-haul flights from overseas and the preferred development option to meet this demand is to construct a 340-metre runway extension with an additional 240-metre safety area that will extend the runway into the North Sound.
While the proposal has already been met with criticism from environmentalists, the outline business case says that it is necessary if Cayman is to compete for tourists with neighbouring Caribbean destinations. The longer runway would enable larger-body aircrafts to land, bringing in passengers on long-haul flights from far-flung countries, according to the report.
Widening the runway at Cayman Brac
The second request for proposals is for a similar process at Charles Kirkconnell International Airport on Cayman Brac. The Westerly Ponds, on the south side of the runway, encroach slightly into the runway strip so, according to the 2041 Airports Master Plan, a portion of the ponds must be filled such that the runway strip can be widened to 246 feet (75 metres) from the runway centre line. Additionally, runway end safety areas are required at each runway end.
Both projects will impact the environment and these impacts need to be identified, evaluated and minimised, according to the terms of the proposal.
Planning Minister Jay Ebanks told business leaders in January that plans to extend the runway at Owen Roberts International Airport were moving forward, including the expansion of the runway into the North Sound, as well as plans to introduce jetways and the development of a dedicated general aviation terminal.
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It seems Govt. is gungho on extending the runway – ‘this would enable larger aircraft to bring in additional passengers from far flung countries”. This is wishful thinking or should I say “pie in the sky”, BA relies largely on it’s Bahamas bound passengers and the UK is not exactly a “far flung country”.Before we spend tens of millions of dollars on an extension,ruining the North Sound in the process, we need some hard facts from people who know what they are talking about. I have suggested before we should look to the industry professionals for advice, namely the major international airlines and ask them if they can see a demand for larger aircraft flying into a tiny island with some of the world’s highest hotel rates with few real tourist attractions and a hurricane season and mosquitoes thrown in. I agree with the oher airport improvements, but I truly see ths as “no, no”.
Trusty2man D. You’re absolutely correct but no one’s listening. This is a political vanity matter, so they have to leave a big hole of debt as their legacy.
The European market of approximately 4.5% of visitors actually shrunk last year. DoT allegedly only sought to establish a Euro marketing plan in 2025.
Europeans visitors have had London as their gateway to Cayman for 3 decades. So where are they? Simply put, Europeans prefer all-inclusive destinations with more liberal entertainment options, none of which are offered in Cayman.
Wrong priorities, better spend the money on expanding the terminal building (already operates at the capacity), building jet bridges, sorting out the parking problem and bringing TSA pre-check so we can land on domestic US terminals. The runway extension might make sense in 10-20years but only after other issues are addressed, don’t be fooled to think this will bring nonstop flights to the UK, as the current BA frequencies couldn’t be sustained with a nonstop service.
With respect to Mr. Mcoy’s service in the field of Aviation here in Cayman, (which he left for retirement 12 years ago), Bringing a new class of visitors on planes incapable of landing here now due to safety margin is Not a “vanity project”. That is why we will eventually be building into the sound. It will get built. I’ve read Mr. Mcoy and our friend Trusty T man (real name unknown) wringing their hands over any mention of an extended runway for years now. If you read the remarks, they are constantly writing that no runway extension should happen .. it’ an unproductive pattern.
In a best case the excuses betray a myopic and penny-pinching mindset, completely devoid of any vision for their great grandchildren. Either that or a hidden agenda to cloak some trivial self interest.
We have Cuba opening up. There is going to be a race condition to improving long distance airlift infrastructure over there. It may take them a generation but that place is beautiful, will become more US centric and eventually compete against us in some form. There will be tax free zones there close enough to threaten our financial services industry.
We need Caymanians with vision to build the infrastructure that will ensure our prosperity into the future. Airlift is like the air we breathe and we can’t say no to it, because a retired airport administrator and a faceless retired troll man wished they could stop it, for reasons of little worth or credibility to even an uninitiated observer
Frank S, fair commentary. You reference our great grandchildren’s benefit in the proposed developments.
What about the debt left to our and great grandchildren by these unjustified vanity projects? Please don’t confuse the remaining, relatively minor and necessary, regulatory-related projects the CIAA must undertake with the major projects proposed, which do not make commercial sense…..at this time. Yes, extending the runway primarily for a long-haul Euro market which isn’t developed and showing no signs of being developed is indeed vanity. It’s definitely not good business sense.
Perhaps the politicians representing our grandchildren and great grandchildren should be the ones to undertake this. That is, if Cayman has even developed a long-haul European market by then.