Government In Discussion To Improve Aerodrome In St. Elizabeth

The Government, through the Airports Authority of Jamaica (AAJ), is in discussion with operator of the Lionel Densham Aerodrome in St. Elizabeth to enter into an agreement to improve the facility.

In an interview with JIS News, President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the AAJ, Audley Deidrick, explained that the intention is to upgrade the aerodrome through a “reverse public-private partnership transaction, where the Government will own the aerodrome, through AAJ, but will return it to the operator for operating for a very long period of time.

He informed that there has been ongoing discussions with the private operator of the aerodrome, which is located in South St. Elizabeth.

“They had made an unsolicited proposal to the Government of Jamaica to assist in the upgrading of that aerodrome, which has become quite an interesting and important aerodrome in the country,” he said.

“South St. Elizabeth represents a unique tourism product with people who want to go to that destination, fly there, stay for several days, weeks even, and then go back to the major airports to fly out of the country,” he added.

Mr. Deidrick pointed out that because of the terrain and distance from the major airport, “having a small aerodrome in that little enclave is a very important part of the tourism buildout in South St. Elizabeth”.

On that basis, Mr. Deidrick explained that the decision was made to enter into the agreement with the operator, to facilitate upgrading of the aerodrome to boost aviation service in a previously underserved area.

The move, the President and CEO said, also comes against the background of a need for further capital development in and the creation of new aerodromes, which are expected to help boost Jamaica’s economic recovery after the COVID-19 pandemic.

He indicated that the remit of the AAJ is to seek to further develop the island’s aerodromes and to build out and expand aviation in the country, as it grows and expands with the tourism product.

To that end, he added, the AAJ is continuing to upgrade and keep the aerodromes in a state of good operational readiness.

He pointed out that since 2018, the AAJ has undertaken a programme of upgrading and sought to “spruce up” the facilities and improve their operational safety requirements, among other things.