Work To Commence On Runway Extension At Sangster Airport By March 31

Work will commence during the first quarter of the year on the US$34-million runway extension works at Sangster International Airport (SIA) in St. James.

This follows the signing of a contract by Ministry of Transport and Mining, Hon. Audley Shaw, with United Kingdom-based Lagan Aviation and Infrastructure Limited and H&J Martin Holdings Limited JV, to undertake the project, which is estimated for completion in the second quarter of 2023.

The works include establishment of Runway End Safety Areas (RESA), relocation of thresholds and navigational aids, and increasing the take-off run available (TORA) for the primary runway from 2,662 meters to 3,060 meters. The extension works is part of a US$70-million runway expansion project.

When completed, the runway is expected to reposition the airport to accommodate larger and more powerful planes, while significantly reducing arrival and departure times.

Necessary preliminary works such as the shoreline protection, realignment of the roadway and the widening of the taxiway and jet blast screen, have commenced and are well advanced.

Minister Shaw, in his remarks during the recent contract-signing ceremony held at the airport, commended MBJ Airports, which operates Sangster International, for investing in the development of the facility.

He noted that apart from the runway project, which is being funded from the Airport Improvement Fund, MBJ has spent just under US$300 million on capital projects since the commencement of the concession and is looking to invest another US$150 million under its current master plan for the development of the facility.

He noted that the Airports Authority of Jamaica (AAJ), MBJ Airports Limited and PAC Kingston Airport Limited (PACKAL), which operates Norman Manley International Airport in Kingston, have committed a combined total capital expenditure of over US$200 million to improve the airports over the period 2022 to 2025.

He said that US$70 million of that amount is slated to be spent in financial year 2022/2023.

Meanwhile, Minister Shaw said that full recovery of aviation traffic, which fell due to the pandemic, is expected in 2025.

“At the advent of the pandemic, which took real effect when the borders were closed in March 2020, Jamaica’s aviation traffic for 2020 fell by a staggering 67 per cent with 2.2 million passengers. This was a major hit for our economy, and we are still feeling the effects today. While the recovery continued in 2021, total traffic for the year stood at 3.3 million or 50 per cent, below the 2019 level. Full recovery of our aviation traffic is not expected until 2025,” he noted.

“It is, therefore, imperative that we take this time to apply lessons learned and reinforce the foundations of the aviation sector by implementing best practices and expanding infrastructure in preparation for this turnaround,” he said.

Chief Executive Officer of MBJ Airports Limited, Shane Munroe, in his remarks, said that runway extension will ensure that SIA has the required runway aviation infrastructure while enhancing the safety of airline operations to meet international requirements.

President and Chief Executive Officer of AAJ, Audley Deidrick, lauded MBJ for continuing its improvement programmes despite the impact of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

He noted that the contract is the largest being undertaken at SIA since the initial project to expand and improve the airport at the inception of MBJ’s concession, which commenced in 2003.

Lagan Aviation and Infrastructure Limited and H&J Martin Holdings Limited JV are a part of the Lagan Specialist Contracting Group of Companies, which is based in the United Kingdom (UK).

The organisation has completed work of a similar nature for the Royal Air Force base in Northolt and Marham, UK; Akrotiri in Cyprus; as well as Dublin Airport, Ireland.

Lagan has also completed airside pavement works at Heathrow, London City Airport, and within the Caribbean.