Runway safety areas proposed for Brac airport

The Cayman Islands Airports Authority is planning to build runway safety areas at either end of the runway at the Charles Kirkconnell International Airport on Cayman Brac.

The proposed work is part of an Airports Master Plan that explores the development of all three of Cayman’s airports in the coming years and is subject to an environmental impact assessment.

A draft Environmental Impact Assessment Terms of Reference document, which is currently subject to a public consultation, notes that runway end safety areas, or RESAs, must be constructed and a part of the runway widened to meet international aviation standards.

RESAs are designed to protect aircraft and passengers from runway overruns.

Construction work on the project, if approved, is expected to begin in 2027, with a six-month completion timeline.

Part of the work will involve widening the south side of the runway to 245 feet, which will require the realignment of South Side Road, and adding a 300-by-300-foot safety area at either end of the runway.

The document notes that the runway strip widening, road realignment and RESA extension works would occur primarily within existing, man-made habitat, but that it would also result in the loss of a small area of ponds, seasonally flooded woodland and dry lake bed.

It also notes, “Mangroves occur along the south and east boundaries of the [airport]. This swamp area provides a vital resource for many species of coastal and terrestrial fauna and flora. There is potential for indirect water quality issues to occur in the coastal habitats, particularly during construction activities and during periods of high run off, where finer sediments and contaminants may be mobilised.”

A scoping opinion on the project, issued by an Environmental Advisory Board, pointed out that the proposed runway expansion and filling of the ponds could impact birds that use the nearby ponds.

It notes, “Although the adjacent ponds are no longer animal sanctuaries protected under the Animal (Sanctuaries) Regulations, they remain as habitat frequently used by birds.”

The board added that the site also contains habitat used by endangered Sister Islands rock iguanas, which may be impacted by the construction and operation of the runway.

The airports authority is inviting feedback on the project and will be holding a public meeting at The Alexander hotel at 5:30-7:30pm on Wednesday, 28 May. The meeting will be livestreamed on the Cayman Islands Airports Authority Facebook page.