Transport Minister Pleased With Safeguards for Workers on NMIA Reconstruction Project

Minister of Energy, Transport and Telecommunications, Hon. Daryl Vaz, says he is pleased with the safety measures implemented to protect workers as reconstruction and upgrade works commence on the aircraft apron at the Norman Manley International Airport (NMIA) in Kingston.

The project, which is partly funded by the Airports Authority of Jamaica (AAJ), is being spearheaded by PAC Kingston Airport Limited (PACKAL), operator of the NMIA and a subsidiary of Mexican airport operator Grupo Aeroportuario del Pacífico (GAP).

“I’m particularly impressed with the safety measures that are in place, which have been explained very carefully to me, along with the quality of work. It’s not only the quality of work but it’s also the technical specifications of a job like this. It is a contract of some US$51 million… that’s just one aspect of it, that’s the apron. We still have another US$70-million or US$80-million contract for the runway extension,” Mr. Vaz said.

“The two go hand in hand. One is to extend the runway to accommodate the bigger jets that are going to be flying as time goes by and, secondly, to have the specifications to carry the weight of those planes, which are much heavier than the existing planes that we fly today for cargo and for passengers. So, it is what I would call a state-of-the-art project, carrying us 35 to 40 years into the future,” he added.

The Minister was speaking during a tour of the project site on Tuesday (September 15).

The project will involve the full reconstruction of NMIA’s 109,270-square-metre operational apron, with Cemex serving as the general contractor.

Mr. Vaz informed that Cemex has four subcontractors working on the development, while also emphasising the importance of knowledge transfer.

“In the future, the transfer of knowledge would make it possible that we wouldn’t have to bring Cemex all the way from Mexico here; but we could partner with local contractors along with Cemex or whoever else [through] international cooperation,” he stated.

The Minister also congratulated the AAJ, Cemex, and “all the experts that are here… the technical experts, the safety experts… because, so far, things have been going very well”.

He added that the project was a significant milestone for Jamaica, as “it means that we are keeping apace and we’ll be able to compete, especially with our tourism product, in the years to come, so that we have that competitive advantage and continue to increase our arriving and departing passengers”.

For his part, Cemex Jamaica Country Manager and Managing Director of Carib Cement, Jorge Martinez, said his company was proud to be a part of the project.

“I can reinforce the idea that Minister shared, that we are here to transfer this technology. This technology, that is state-of-the-art… is not only used for airports, but it can also be used in highways, it can be used in rural roads, and… we can bring all of this technology to Jamaica,” he stated.

The NMIA project involves demolishing sections of the existing concrete pavement and replacing them with new concrete slabs.

Construction is being executed in eight phases to keep the airport fully operational throughout the works.