Topic: Owen Roberts International Airport
Four overstayers identified during amnesty
The Cayman Islands Immigration Department has identified four overstayers so far during its August amnesty period, including one individual who turned up at Owen Roberts International Airport with a plane ticket to depart.
Airport loop road closure
The Cayman Islands Airports Authority advised that a lane of the loop road by the Owen Roberts International Airport will close Monday, Aug. 6, for three weeks as construction work continues on the airport expansion.
Teams begin arriving for amateur golf championship
The competitors for the Caribbean Amateur Golf Championships began arriving on Saturday, and Jamaica was the first team to touch down at Owen Roberts International Airport.
Drugs seized at airport, post office
Three people, including two Caymanians and an American, were arrested over the past several days attempting to bring illegal drugs into the Cayman Islands, Her Majesty’s Customs service reported Monday.
Two arrested at airport
Two people were arrested on suspicion of possessing ganja at the Owen Roberts International Airport on Monday.
Customs form scrapped for most Cayman travelers
Her Majesty’s Customs in the Cayman Islands will scrap a requirement to fill out bureaucratic forms for the majority of travelers to the British Overseas Territory.
NEW: Simulated ‘hijacking’ at airport Tuesday evening
A training exercise will take place at Owen Roberts International Airport at 6 p.m. today. The exercise will involve an emergency response to a simulated plane hijacking.
Court fines visitor $3,000 for drugs
A man who planned to be in Cayman for one day ended up in custody for five days after he was charged with drug offenses at Owen Roberts International Airport.
Southwest Airlines begins Saturday Cayman-Houston flights
A group of aviation officials and media squeezed their way through a crowded Owen Roberts International Airport terminal on their way to observe the landing of Southwest Airlines’ first flight here from Houston on Saturday.
Airport upgrade cost will not be made public until 2019
Though officials have confirmed that the price of the Owen Roberts International Airport upgrade will exceed its original $55 million estimate, the project’s final cost will not be made public until 2019.
Airport notifies bid winners of concessions contracts
Successful bidders for concessions facilities at Owen Roberts International Airport were notified Saturday via letters from the Cayman Islands Airports Authority, the Cayman Compass has learned.
Airport concessions
Today's editorial cartoon
EDITORIAL – Airport vendor delay: What an inexplicable ‘fine mess’
If anyone should know the importance of punctuality, it is the Cayman Islands Airports Authority.
Airport silent on vendor bidding decision
The Cayman Islands Airports Authority has been tight-lipped on the status of the bidding process for businesses to win retail space in Cayman’s new airport terminal – a process that may have to be restarted due to the CIAA missing its own deadline for dealing with applications.
Man admits importing unlicensed air pistol
Two people accused of importing an air pistol in 2017 appeared in Grand Court Friday, when one pleaded guilty and the other had a tentative trial date set.
Missed deadline could delay opening of airport retail stores
The bidding process for businesses to win retail space in Cayman’s new airport terminal may have to be repeated because officials missed their own deadline for dealing with applications.
Seasonal rains soak Cayman
Persistent rain continued to drench Cayman on Tuesday, and forecasters from the Cayman Islands National Weather Service believe the inclement weather will continue through the end of the week.
Cayman Airways worker pleads guilty in drug case
A Cayman Airways employee pleaded guilty Friday to an illegal drugs exportation charge in U.S. federal court, according to records published Tuesday by the Miami-area district court.
Flight disruptions as heavy rains fall on Cayman
As heavy rains fell on the Cayman Islands, several flights were delayed, diverted or cancelled. A British Airways flights, scheduled to arrive at 3:55 p.m. Monday, was diverted to Nassau, Bahamas, where passengers are expected to remain at least overnight.
New headquarters for Aviation Authority
The Civil Aviation Authority of the Cayman Islands has finally found a home. The regulatory authority recently executed a 99-year lease on a property within eyesight of the runway at Owen Roberts International Airport.
Departures lounge opens as airport takes shape
Along the boarded walkways that lead passengers through Cayman’s airport, a sign asks for travelers’ patience with the ongoing construction work.
Fast track passengers bypass airport crowds
“This is a huge step forward,” said Kent McTaggart as he breezed past the immigration and customs lines at Owen Roberts International Airport and out into the warm Cayman evening Friday.
Airport terminal overhaul to exceed $55 million budget
When government unveiled the first glimpse of the Owen Roberts International Airport upgrade in December, Tourism Minister Moses Kirkconnell said that the project was on target to meet its $55-million budget.
Oil spill shuts down airport area roundabout
An oil spill temporarily shut down the roundabout at Shedden Road and Dorcy Drive, beside the Owen Roberts International Airport runway, Thursday afternoon.
Governor checks out Grand Cayman’s airport
Less than two weeks after touching down there, Governor Anwar Choudhury, seen above in a lime green hard hat and carrying his own ubiquitous hat in his hand, returned to the Owen Roberts International Airport Friday for an official tour.
Compass investigation: Dissecting the airport bottleneck
Even amid intense construction on a new terminal that will triple capacity, passengers have begun to question if Cayman’s multi-million dollar airport upgrade goes far enough.
EDITORIAL – Eliminating the Saturday gridlock at Owen Roberts
Rather than the easy-breezy “rest of the week,” it is the conditions within those three hours of congestion that form the standard by which the performance of our public officials, and the still-under-renovation airport, will be judged.
Man admits bringing cocaine from Brac
A man charged with having cocaine at Owen Roberts International Airport last year pleaded guilty on Wednesday to possession with intent to supply more than one pound, 12 ounces of the illegal drug.
Cayman welcomes Anwar Choudhury
Cayman’s government leaders and members of the police force received the islands’ new governor, Anwar Choudhury, and his family at the Owen Roberts International Airport Monday.
Weekend Mail Call: Airport delays
Here's what readers had to say about continued challenges for Cayman’s air travelers.
Congestion in the skies amid influx of aircraft
Three planes were diverted to Jamaica and at least two others were held on the tarmac in Miami and Tampa on Saturday afternoon because Grand Cayman’s airport was too busy for them to land.
Airport passengers overflow to outdoors
Hundreds of departing passengers were told to wait in a tented seating area outside Grand Cayman’s Owen Roberts International Airport terminal Saturday afternoon because the indoor waiting area was too full.
Bullet in backpack costs tourist $750
A tourist from New Jersey had his stay in Cayman extended by a day and his holiday budget expanded by $750 after airport security personnel found a bullet in his backpack.
Controlling the skies: Inside look at Cayman air traffic control tower
Cayman Islands Airports Authority Operations Manager Rob Harris pulls out a large sheet of paper resembling a map of a major city, showing dozens of different colored lines running in multiple directions.
Cayman airports could be equipped with radar in 2019
Airports in the Cayman Islands do not have access to radar, but such facilities exist on Grand Cayman.
EDITORIAL – Another visit to the airport (and to our keyboard)
In publishing, as in travel, it sometimes makes sense to book a round trip. Last weekend’s smooth arrivals process at Owen Roberts International Airport calls for a “return trip” editorial on the issue of airport delays.
Taxi driver in court over fatal airport accident
Taxi van driver Roy Clivey Tamasa appeared in Traffic Court on Monday on a charge of causing the death of Dr. Vary Anetta Jones-Leslie by dangerous driving. An alternative charge is causing death by careless driving.
‘All hands on deck’ at airport
Martin Flaemrich was worried about his family’s Saturday flight from Toronto to Grand Cayman’s Owen Roberts International Airport.
Airport seeks improvement, but warns queues ‘inevitable’
Airport bosses will introduce expanded covered waiting areas in anticipation of another busy weekend at the facility.
EDITORIAL – Major (but not terminal) problems arise at new airport
In the instance of Saturday’s breakdown of systems at the new arrivals hall, there was no “single point of failure.” Indeed the ostensible problem — long lines of unhappy tourists — was, in fact, simply a manifestation of a multitude of operational mishaps — many of them emanating from bad (or nonexistent) planning, others simply from bad luck.
Despite new arrivals hall, hours-long wait at airport
Some of the first visitors through the Cayman Island’s new airport arrivals hall waited for hours in immigration lines that stretched from the steps of the plane to the new building.
Arrivals wing opens at Owen Roberts airport
The new arrivals hall at the Owen Roberts International Airport – the latest piece in the jigsaw of Cayman’s $55-million airport upgrade – opened this week.
New pilot program allows passengers to Cayman to pre-clear in Miami
United States border control officials were in Grand Cayman this week to sign a first-of-its-kind agreement that will enable passengers arriving from Miami to clear customs and immigration pre-flight.
Airport announces latest changes due expansion work
As expansion work continues at the Owen Roberts International Airport, the Cayman Islands Airports Authority announced some changes Monday to the movement flow at the terminal.
Taxi van driver charged in Jamaican doctor’s death
An elderly taxi van driver was charged Friday in connection with a deadly July 2017 crash at Owen Roberts International Airport.
NEW: Taxi driver charged in fatal airport wreck
An elderly taxi driver was charged Friday in connection with a deadly crash at Owen Roberts International Airport that occurred in July.
Record 2.1 million tourists visited Cayman in 2017
A record number of tourists arrived in the Cayman Islands in 2017, with just over 2.1 million people arriving on these shores by air and sea.
Cayman’s most memorable photos of 2017
From hurricane hunting to a visiting boxing legend to soca on the streets of George Town, Cayman experienced another colorful, eventful year.
Cocaine case adjourned
A man traveling from Cayman Brac was arrested at Owen Roberts International Airport on Dec. 5 for possession of cocaine with intent to supply.
EDITORIAL – Owen Roberts remodel: Giving a new ‘wing’ to Cayman air travel
Cayman’s air travelers have received an early Christmas present with the opening of Owen Roberts International Airport’s new check-in area.
First glimpse of new $55 million airport upgrade
Airport bosses unveiled the first element of the facility’s $55 million upgrade Friday, and then targeted completing the job by next Christmas.
Man arrested with two pounds of cocaine at airport
An airline passenger traveling from Cayman Brac to Grand Cayman was arrested with about two pounds of cocaine Monday morning, shortly after his arrival at Owen Roberts International Airport.
Airport birds
Today's editorial cartoon
Cayman Airways jet makes emergency landing
A Cayman Airways flight headed for New York had to return to Owen Roberts International Airport and make an emergency landing Sunday when it developed a problem with the jet’s pressurization system.
Weekend downpour puts Cayman over 30-year rainfall average
Nearly two inches of rain was recorded at Owen Roberts International Airport Sunday evening as an thunderstorm swept through Grand Cayman and lasted into the night. More rain arrived late Monday morning.
Daily complaints about taxi and bus drivers
A total of 450 “enforcement actions” have been taken against public bus, tour and taxi operators in the past year, the director of the Public Transport Unit revealed Wednesday.
Report highlights faults in public project planning
Despite improvements being made over the last several years, government still does not properly plan or budget its major capital projects, which could mean that the costs of those developments could be underestimated by a “significant” amount, according to a report released last week by the Office of the Auditor General.
EDITORIAL – Ideas that make ‘the heart beat faster’
Two birds with one stone? Kids’ play! Why stop there? A bold proposal circulating in the Cayman Islands’ political and business communities encompasses no fewer than five major infrastructure projects.
Three US military helicopters visit Owen Roberts Airport
Three U.S. military helicopters occupied Owen Roberts International Airport Thursday morning, touching down en route to their Honduras home base.
US military aircraft touch down in Cayman
En route from Cuba’s Guantanamo Bay to their home base in Honduras on Friday morning, the American military briefly took over part of Owen Roberts International Airport on Thursday.
EDITORIAL – Company’s coming: ‘Dressing up’ Cayman for unexpected guests
Quick, Cayman: Lay out the good napkins and set extra places at the table. Unexpected guests are coming – 250,000 of them.
Cayman police return from British Virgin Islands
The police team, which touched down at Owen Roberts International Airport Monday night, was relieved by a second contingent of officers who departed for BVI earlier in the day.
Record summer as tourism figures soar
Air arrival figures continued to soar in July and August, with tourism officials predicting the Cayman Islands could see year-end visitor numbers in excess of 400,000 for the first time in 2017.
Airport fence smashed in one of 25 weekend accidents
A woman who drove an SUV through the Owen Roberts International Airport fence Saturday night was one of 25 car accidents reported to the Royal Cayman Islands Police this weekend.
Cause of Cayman Airways engine malfunction unknown
Cayman Airways does not yet know the cause of a mechanical issue that forced the emergency landing of a B737-800 aircraft bound for Tampa, Florida, earlier this month.
Customs officers arrest three in drug bust
Customs officers arrested two people for drug offenses at Owen Roberts International Airport on Friday, and later arrested another man in West Bay.
Engine problem forces Cayman Airways emergency landing
A Cayman Airways flight destined for Tampa, Florida, was forced to turn back to Grand Cayman on Thursday because of engine trouble. Flight KX200 had to make an emergency landing.
US Marines use Grand Cayman as staging area for hurricane aid
Hurricane relief came swooping in to Owen Roberts International Airport in three Super Stallion helicopters Monday afternoon.
UPDATE: Cayman’s airport offers shelter from, staging area for Hurricane Irma
Civilian and military aircraft are converging upon Grand Cayman's airport, either fleeing from Hurricane Irma or on their way to provide emergency relief to affected areas.
Airport project halfway to completion
A project to renovate and expand Grand Cayman’s international airport is halfway to completion, officials said this week. The development will triple the size of the Owen Roberts International Airport terminal.
Premier outlines capital projects, policies on opening day of LA
With the next four years being his last term as the leader of the territory’s government, Premier Alden McLaughlin said on Wednesday in the Legislative Assembly that he “will be leaving everyone on the field” to ensure that his administration delivers on its promises to the Cayman Islands.
Police, government still reviewing deadly road accident at airport
A month after a deadly auto-pedestrian crash killed a visiting doctor at Grand Cayman’s Owen Roberts International Airport, both local police and government officials are still reviewing the incident.
