Governor: ‘Constant danger’ to Little Cayman flight exemption

While Little Cayman’s flight exemption will continue past September, Governor Jane Owen has said there is a “constant danger” of the licence to fly into the island being pulled, making the need for a solution to the airport situation “urgent”.

“I think we need to demonstrate that we are committed to finding a way forward that will ensure that whatever ‘fly in-fly out’ option we have for Little Cayman that we are on track to complying with the international standards and norms,” Owen said during an interview with the Cayman Compass.

Over the last 20 years, Cayman Airways has been allowed to operate flights using an ‘exemption of airworthiness’ from the Civil Aviation Authority of the Cayman Islands as the existing airfield does not meet international safety regulations.

Last week Tourism Minister Kenneth Bryan, speaking in Parliament, said Cayman Airways flights into Little Cayman will continue uninterrupted and the aviation exemption to fly into the Edward Bodden Airfield will not cease after September, when the Civil Aviation Authority’s extension of the exemption was set to end.

Governor Owen, who has responsibility for aviation safety, told the Cayman Compass that “there is a constant danger of the exemption being pulled, which is why it is urgent”.

She explained that her interest in the matter regards safety and security.

“[The] Little Cayman airport needs to have some serious upgrades in order for it to continue to operate in a safe and secure and proper way. So this is quite urgent, and there have been ongoing discussions for a long time on this. But we do need to get going on it,” she said.

Bryan, in his comments in the House, 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.

Owen, however, said it will be for the good of the government, the cabinet and elected members to make a decision on how the island addresses the situation, and they will need to take into account the vast amount of data that is already in hand.

“They will need to look at things like the cost, the impact on the community and the environmental impact as well, all of those things, and when they do that, I think it is important to then make a choice … what are you going to do about the future of the airport? Because then we can start to make a plan for the future,” she said.

While she said consultation is important, she added, “I do think it’s really important to take a decision as well”.

The Little Cayman airport, she said, is a great example of where Cayman needs to set the right balance about what to do going forward, adding, “I think we’ll need to think about that as we continue quite rightly to develop our islands in the right way”.

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, however, said government will have to look at next steps on the issue, including where to put the airport, its cost and the environmental implications.

He said the issue is “delicate” and government is trying to strike a balance on the issue.