Covered jetways that enable passengers to move between Grand Cayman’s Owen Roberts International Airport terminal and arriving and departing aircraft are not included in the airport projects recently approved by Cabinet, officials have confirmed.
The lack of such jetways, or passenger boarding bridges, in the construction of the $74 million modernised terminal that was officially opened in 2019 has been criticised by airport users, especially during rainy season. Currently, airline passengers are using mobile boarding ramps to get on and off planes.
Tourism Minister Kenneth Bryan, speaking at a press conference last week to announce four multi-million-dollar airport projects, confirmed that while jetways are a component of a new 20-year Airport Master Plan, government at this time does not have the budget to include them in upcoming improvements at Owen Roberts.
“We are doing the projects that we can afford at this particular point,” Bryan said.
The four projects include expanding the existing runway 1,900 feet into the North Sound, constructing a new general aviation terminal for private aircraft and upgrading air traffic control surveillance at Owen Roberts, and carrying out runway end safety area works at the Charles Kirkconnell International Airport on Cayman Brac.
Cabinet recently approved outline business cases for those four projects, which are estimated to cost a total of almost $76 million and which will be paid for by a $20 increase in passenger fees.
These projects are included in an overall Airport Master Plan, which outlines recommendations for development and improvements at all three of Cayman’s airports, at a cost of $800 million over the next 20 years.
Bryan told reporters that government had decided to move ahead with the four earmarked projects because two of them – the general aviation terminal and the runway expansion – would be major revenue generators, while the other two – the Brac runway safety work and the air traffic traffic control upgrades – had to be done as a priority to comply with regulatory requirements.
He said the expanded runway would enable larger aircraft to land in Grand Cayman, and would attract more long-haul flights, therefore bringing in more passengers, while expanding the general aviation facilities would mean more usage of the airport by private jets.
“[The] revenue body will increase, which then allows you to be in a financial position to go ahead and pay for the other things that are part of this plan, like, for instance, the jetways and airport parking space,” the minister said.
Cayman Islands Airports Authority project senior manager, Roy Williams, confirmed that jetways are included in a future plan to expand the existing terminal.
As well as new jetways, the terminal expansion would also address issues such as the mixing of arriving and departing passengers, lack of parking space, and capacity at the security screening checkpoint and check-in areas as usage of the airport grows, he said.
Officials estimate that, with the expansion of the runway and the new facilities for private aircraft, air arrivals at Owen Roberts will grow by 1.9% each year. Pre-COVID tourism air arrivals in Cayman was more than 500,000, a number the Ministry of Tourism is hoping to return to and surpass.
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If you can’t afford covered jetways, at least provide ramps rather than steps for all flights.
It is hard to understand why the airport expansion/enhancement does not include the addition of jetways to enable our residents and especially visitors to reach the terminal and aircraft wihout walking in the blazing sun or driving rain. I can only imagine the impression getting soaked coming or going leaves with a visitor.
Once again they decide not to install jetways. Do they understand how third-world this makes Cayman appear. At the very least get rid of all steps and provide COVERED ramps so that passengers don’t get soaked getting on/off board. Mr. Bryan seems obsessed with revenue generation, with PR and opening up new markets. Doesn’t he understand how important the customer experience is? This is 2023, not 1993. Take a look at Bermuda to see the difference; Cayman doesn’t have its priorities right.
We recently traveled from the UK via Heathrow Airport terminal 5.
Many of their gates don’t have jetways either. And, unlike here, they don’t even have the sensible movable slopes we have but you have to haul your hand luggage up steps.
Has Bryan ever tried to picture a tourist family arriving in a rainstorm – husband, wife, maybe couple of kids, standing in lines through Immigration & Customs dripping wet – just the way ladies like to be seen. Then once they get a taxi, sitting in wet clothes for 15/20 minutes and paying an eye watering (sorry) fare, before presenting themselves, somewhat bedraggled, at Check-In.
Reverse the process, on a rainy day, , and imagine boarding a flight home to travel for several hours in wet clothes. Great experience to relate to friends when asked – “ How was the vacation “.
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I think Cayman is becoming too greedy. Why do we need more, and bigger planes? The roads are already overcrowded, especially when a lot of new visitors have arrived by plane, or when cruise ships are visiting. I think we have enough! I agree it would be better to use that money to provide jetways. Thank you!