Plans are in hand for the immediate resurfacing of the Clayton J. Lloyd International Airport with the Ministry of Infrastructure choosing the lesser of two cost estimates.
Minister of Infrastructure and Tourism, Mr. Haydn Hughes, told The Anguillian newspaper: “Right now, there is an immediate need to resurface the airport. There are two different estimates of cost to do the work. One takes into consideration just the resurfacing to ensure that the airport is viable; and the other estimate takes into account the increasing of the classification code, the PCN. This would increase the density of the airport runway, allow for heavier aircraft to fly in and lengthen the airport.
“To my mind, the latter is not an immediate priority. It comes with a serious cost in excess of twenty million US dollars, while the other option, just to resurface the airport to ensure that it is viable for the next few years, comes at a cost of three million US dollars. If you take into consideration the cost benefit analysis of both of them, you will go for the lower cost. This is especially when we have such a difficult and challenging financial situation, as we speak, given the fact that we are reliant on the mercies of the British Government to fill the budgetary gap that we find ourselves in.
“A new Board for AASPA (the Anguilla Air and Sea Ports Authority) has been put in place and it needs to produce for me a cost reduction plan – and overall goals and objectives to move forward. I have also given the Water Authority Board a mandate for a cost reduction plan to ensure that it is as viable as possible. Right now, as it relates to AASPA, there is a lot of work that needs to be done. There is a lot of opportunity for AASPA but we just need to make sure that it is efficient.”
Asked about future plans to develop the airport, the Minister said: “We have been talking about the development of an airport for commercial trans-Atlantic traffic from the time that James Ronald Webster was the Chief Minister of Anguilla. But we have not realised that goal. One of the things that I want to focus on is bringing more people to Anguilla. But I think that right now the airport can accommodate them. It will take a tremendous investment to ensure that we can get the airport to 7,600 feet. At present, it is a little over 5,200 feet if you took away the runway extension safety apron. For us to get the 7,600 feet, with all the issues we have, and the lack of finances, I don’t see it happening in this term of the Government. So I want to focus on what is attainable. I don’t want to be chasing rainbows. I want to focus on an airport that can deliver on the needs we have at present, and to ensure that we have more people coming to Anguilla as we move forward.”
Mr. Hughes continued: “The timeline that I have for resurfacing the airport is 2021. The reason I said that is because, to be honest with you, my ultimate objective is to redo The Valley Main Road and the Carter Rey Boulevard – and I am not saying this will happen in 2021. I think it makes good sense that when you mobilise the asphalt plant to resurface the airport, which is a top priority, at the same time you can concentrate on the redevelopment of the Carter Rey Boulevard and The Valley Main Road. The procurement is going out for tender in terms of the surveying of The Valley Main Road this month, September, so we have made a significant step in realising that goal. If there is a situation where the asphalt company is on the island to deliver on the resurfacing of the Clayton J. Lloyd International Airport, you can ensure the delivery of the Carter Rey Boulevard and The Valley Main Road as well.”
The main complaints about the state of the airport runway have been coming from the regulators, according to Mr. Hughes. “We are governed by international regulators and we want to ensure that they do not flag us,” he stressed. “We want to be ahead of the game and to be there is to be recognise where there is a need for improvement and to do it before the regulators shutdown the airport. As you know, in 2016 ASSI (Air Safety Support International) shutdown the airport because it needed some critical infrastructural development. That was really bad for Anguilla and I don’t want to fall in that situation. I have inherited these problems and it is my job, as the Minister responsible for Infrastructure and Ports, to ensure that these problems are fixed.”
Questioned whether the Anguilla Government had the three million US dollars to resurface the airport runway, he replied: “We don’t. On coming to office, I also realised that the Anguilla Air and Sea Ports Authority is relying on a subvention from the Government of Anguilla, and the Government of Anguilla is relying on a subvention from Her Majesty’s Government. That is untenable. It is not sustainable – and it is my job to ensure that those subventions are reduced or eliminated altogether to ensure that these entities are viable and can stand on their feet. The resurfacing of the airport will need financing and is something we cannot run away from. It will mean that our airport would not be downgraded or shutdown – and we have to ensure that does not happen. The right time to do the resurfacing is now, when we don’t have a large number of tourists coming to the island – and when the airport is not being utilised as we would like it to be. I believe that we can resurface the airport without having a material impact on air traffic coming in as long as we do it in a responsible way – such as in sections – as we move forward.”
