International firm Avia NG Airport Consultants is set to deliver its proposed design for Cayman’s new general aviation terminal at the end of November.
The firm, which was selected as the preferred supplier for the design in April, was issued a contract valued at $1.264 million to do the design work for the new facility.
The Cayman Islands Airports Authority, in an update on the project following Cayman Compass queries, said the design of the terminal will be completed by the end of November, after which the request for proposals for its construction will be issued.
Following this, the CIAA said via email that it will then will seek Cabinet approval to proceed with the project.
“There is no delay. Construction will start next year dependent on cabinet approval, contract negotiations and constructions permits,” the CIAA said.
The general aviation terminal project, it said, was one of the projects approved by Cabinet from the CIAA 2041 Master Plan.
“This contract award is for design (1/3 of total value) and construction management (2/3 of total value, payable only if we proceed with construction), not construction,” the CIAA said.
The site is located at the Owen Roberts International Airport in Grand Cayman and is adjacent to the existing easterly apron and the North Sound.
The general aviation plan consists of the construction of an approximately 70,000-square-metre flexible and non-flexible aircraft parking apron, an approximately 10,500-square-metre heliport apron and a small marine dock with an associated seawall.
The general aviation apron will consist of a connection to the existing taxiways G and H.
The design scope will include all access roads, underground utilities and necessary external works required as outlined in the conceptual design included in the CIAA 2041 Master Plan.
The general aviation upgrade forms part of the government’s Airports Master Plan, which outlines the way forward for aerodromes on all three of the islands over the next two decades.
The Cayman Islands Airports Authority document, unveiled last July, indicates that the total estimated price tag for the many projects in the plan is just under $660 million.
Some of the projects are considered to be of such high priority that they need to be completed within the next five years, while others are much farther down the to-do list.
Of that amount, almost $491 million will be spent on Owen Roberts International Airport in Grand Cayman, $79 million on the Charles Kirkconnell International Airport in Cayman Brac, and $47.5 million on the Edward Bodden Airfield in Little Cayman.
Preliminary work commenced last month at the Owen Roberts International Airport on the development of a 300-space parking facility, which will be located to the east of the main terminal.
The CIAA has said that the facility will include a modern parking-management system and enhanced lighting to ensure safety and convenience for all customers.
Land earmarked for the parking facility was cleared, and the next step will be to ask for bids for the construction, the authority previously told the Compass.
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Looking at all the caveats, it’s my bet construction will not start next year, even if we have a viable Cabinet.