Night landing resumes in Dominica

Night landing facility at the airport before the passage of Erika
Night landing facility at the airport before the passage of Erika

Prime Minister, Roosevelt Skerrit, has announced that the Douglas-Charles Airport, which was severely damaged during the passage of Tropical Storm Erica, is ready to fully resume night landing.

He made that announcement while addressing Parliament on Tuesday night.

The airport suffered damages in excess of $41-million during the passage of the storm on August 27.

“Just to inform the house that all the lights have been fully installed at the Douglas-Charles Airport so we are now ready to fully resume night landing again,” the Prime Minister said.

He stated that Seaborne Airlines has landed and has been advised that WinAir has done the same.

“The Eastern Caribbean Civil Aviation has commended the government on this important achievement considering the speed that which we will get it,” he stated.

Skerrit stated further that the pilots have been very impressed and have also expressed their commendations.

He commended Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Dominica Air and Seaport Authority (DASPA), Benoit Bardouille and other officials who played their part in showing keen interest as well as providing leadership to have the facility up and running.

Skerrit also thanked a company from Spain which provided solar lights, which he said fits in the government’s overall renewable energy efforts.

He added that his government recently signed a $31 million contract for the restoration of the apron, the river retaining walls and the road leading up to Londonderry and other aspects in response to Tropical Storm Erika.

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65 Comments

  1. unknown
    December 17, 2015

    my only concern is wil the prime minister since have say in liat …wil liat lower the prices for ticket and put back the different time for flights..thank you

  2. REASONING
    December 17, 2015

    :?: Good thing there’s there’s the French islands to go to via ferry,then catch a flight.This is what i did recently,cause there’s no real night landing in dumb-in-ica!!!

  3. Neverson St jean
    December 17, 2015

    The name of the airport is Melville hall . That is what I see on line and that is what was stamped on my passport last month.

  4. Megso
    December 16, 2015

    So day time landing comes from the mountain and night time landing comes from the sea, if am correct wat does that explain? plus no hospital near by, this is a very dangerous airport in my view. GOD GUIDE AND PROTECT US…………..

    • Malatete
      December 17, 2015

      Megso, ideally you take off- and land against the wind, in order to maximise lift (…and reduce the distance required). Landing at Melville Hall during the night across the mountains, is too dangerous and therefore planes will approach and land from the sea, as you rightly say. However, that means that the landing is made with a tail wind requiring a longer distance. In fact if that tailwind exceeds 15 kts/hr. a LIAT plane will not land because it leaves insufficient runway length for a safe landing. Yes, we do have night landing facilities but they are severely limited because of runway length and proximity of high terrain at its western end.

  5. Da massive
    December 16, 2015

    Them man does lie good Wii…dem man calling 530pm night landing now….

  6. December 16, 2015

    I hope you guys don’t delay the river wall defense project before a terrible tropical storm occurred like
    Erika.

  7. Tj
    December 16, 2015

    Ongratulations to all that make Doulas/Charles night landings a reality Again. Let us encourage win air and seaborne to increase their services since the carrier we invest into (lIAT) does not care how Dominicans feel. If seaborne add additional flights LIAT will become history.

  8. D/can to de Bone (F)
    December 16, 2015

    Thsnks you PM great effort

  9. December 16, 2015

    Thank goodness this is repaired, because night landing is the only way to get to Dominica in one day from many, many places.

    • Francisco Etienne-Dods Telemaque
      December 17, 2015

      Question for you Steve, how do you define night landing?

      A flight landing at six o\’clock at night, or flights landing, and take off all through the night?

      If you ask anybody who lives in the villages of Marigot, and Wesley we will tell you we are accustom of seen aircrafts landing and take off after seven o\’clock in the evening when there were no landing lights installed way back in 1958, and there after when the airport was first built.

      What is going there Steve is a gimmick, even in St. Vincent where they had a small airport like Dominica with landing lights, aircrafts were not landing there late at night. Skerrit made himself a fool when he followed Gonzalez advised and wasted more than half of a billion dollars on that crap rather than building new International Airport, which could have cost less.

      If night landing did not work for Gonzalez at their old small airport why will it work Skerrit? That is why Gonzalez ensured Argyle International.

    • d-a born
      December 17, 2015

      Yup!

      Although I have a one day flight at 5:30 coming up

  10. too late
    December 16, 2015

    mista them going to waste money again on that airport?

  11. MIA
    December 16, 2015

    God Blessings to the government, opposition, and the people of Dominica because it was time we reopen the country, two flights a day was not working for the country………………. :-D

  12. December 16, 2015

    Le, Bon DE bon, for the love of country. Give God what belongs to God, and render to our leader and our Elected EXCUTIVES THEIR dues, merry Christmas DOMINICA.

  13. From My Conference Room
    December 16, 2015

    Thank you Jesus. Rome wasn’t built in a day. Step by Step.

  14. December 16, 2015

    what about the fencing of the airport you going to have police standing in the dark bushes just concern about my security.

  15. A Doubting Thomas In Solidarity
    December 16, 2015

    Well done PM. Thank You and your team.

  16. December 16, 2015

    Am not a big supporter of the PM but I can say with the opposition on his back his doing a good job . keep up the good work PM and next time I will vote for you . when it’s good say it’s good.

    • MY 2cents
      December 17, 2015

      Well said Kiki. Could just imagine how much more the PM would accomplish if he didn’t have to always take time from his busy schedule to respond to the constant stories created by the UWP team of failures. UWP team foo and booboo have to much free time on their hand. They need to find work to do.

  17. Larchmont, NY
    December 16, 2015

    All that talk about night landing and so much money being spent but yet, it is still difficult to get flights to Dominica. I am experiencing it right now. After paying $1,700 USD, I missed my flight due to a fatal accident that occurred on the Van Wyck expressway, route to JFK airport. I can get flights to all different ports but my connecting flight to Dominica, nothing available. What a stress. Only Dominica. We pay the most in airfares than any other island. This has been happening too long. Why can’t the Government do something about that. This is not good for the economy. If I, a patriotic Dominican is so frustrated, what about visitors. Just had to pay an additional $1,050 to get a flight almost $3,000 USD for a ticket to Dominica. Leaving New York Saturday and arriving Dominica Sunday. I had to vent.

    • December 16, 2015

      Understand your frustration , I use that route every day on my way to work. But as u stated, the likely reason for missing your flight was due to the fatal accident, not due to the return of night landing. Hope you enjoy your trip and enjoy Home. Long live Dominica. God bless America.

    • Malate
      December 17, 2015

      Try flying Norwegian airline for JFK to Martinique. They operate new Boeing (737)aircraft with all leather seats and fares start as low as U.S.$.79/one way, taxes included.
      They also fly from Boston Logan and Baltimore Washington airports to either Martinique or Guadeloupe. Spend a comfortable night in the French islands and take a fast ferry directly into the centre of Roseau the next day. You will save a bunch of money for a start. Visit: http://www.travelagentcentral.com/martinique/norwegian launches. Good luck

    • December 17, 2015

      Is Van Wyck Expressway the new name for the Roseau to Melville Hall road? I did not know the name had changed :twisted: :lol: :cry: :-P :mrgreen: :twisted:

      • Barbara Saunders
        December 17, 2015

        Good question, as they have fatal accidents there too. I’m surprised to hear that!

    • d-a born
      December 17, 2015

      Yea, this year seemed the worse. It was a full time job for me to get a flight from DC that wasn’t almost $2000…I got lucky but it was still much higher than what I normally pay. At one point, all tickets I saw were $1800 USD and up

    • silver fox
      December 17, 2015

      To the comment above, don’t be a fool with that crap, you missed your flight dew to accident on the way to the airport it’s not the fault of Dominica, go have a dump,!

  18. Malatete
    December 16, 2015

    I hope the P.M. is right but any professional aviator will always check the NOTAM’s for any airport he/she plans to fly into.
    NOTAM A1540/15, posted 08 Dec, 2015 at 17.52 hrs.
    “AD open to all traffice 15 minutes before sunrise, a5 minutes after sunset intil 22.00 hrs. 31 March 2016”
    Note, this pertains to Melville Hall airport (DOM) as Douglas Charles has still not been internationally recognized.
    For those interested in following the situation and updates for pilots at Melville Hall in real time visit: http://www.notam.org/airport/melvillehall.

    • December 16, 2015

      I know what you mean checking for flights and prices and Melville hall airport is still in the system .
      The Douglas Charles airport was something done by Pm but he never brought it to the House for debate to have the name changed, so it’s still known as Melville Hall Airport. And as for LIAT he put so much money into it and they do whatever they feel like as far Dominica is concern what a mess.

  19. Malatete
    December 16, 2015

    Did Winair and Seabourne land during darkness mr. Skerrit?

  20. dissident
    December 16, 2015

    Ministry of public works refuse to give me de name of de contractor who got the contractor who got the contract to do the work at de airport.
    Asking whether I’m a journalist looking for information.
    Is there something to hide?
    Some say it’s gardahkan and others say it’s chris from the north!
    I’m still trying to confirm!
    I need work.
    De ministry is withholding information from me!
    At least give me de name let me go and tackle either gardahkan or chris for work but i don’t see de benefits to de ministry in denying me that important. Information.
    Is so we come nuh?

  21. December 16, 2015

    I hope you guys have put proper protection in place to prevent an other terrible event like Tropical storm Erika, Our leaders in Dominica like short cuts never try to do things the right way and it does turn out to be costly when there’s a terrible storm in Dominica.

    • outsider
      December 16, 2015

      How can they prevent another event like erica?, this is god’s work, are you questioning the divine one?, or how he should conduct his business?.

      • December 17, 2015

        @outsider ,If there were proper river wall defense this airport wouldn’t have devastated that heavily, You cant prevent mother nature but you can but things in place some areas to prevent heavy devastation.

      • Music Producer
        December 17, 2015

        If Erika was god’s work, as you stated, god does not really like you guys very much! You guys keep saying god is good all the time, all the time god is good. Who you lying to – only yourself, cause Erika was not a good deed!

    • Barbara Saunders
      December 16, 2015

      Congrats to all for the effort in getting night landing back on stream.

      Sorry, fellow bloggers. No way you all will get me to join in the constant negativity, always banging the country which you all call home and pretend to love.

      I really just don’t get it you know!

      • awa wi
        December 17, 2015

        would expect a little more educated discourse from you. afterall you should be able to differentiate between bashing the country and bashing an inept administration. that is unless you equate Dominica to roosvelt skerrit and the dlp. so hope I have enlightened u a bit and helped you to ‘get it’. we love dca not the administration

      • Barbara Saunders
        December 18, 2015

        Awa Wi

        Thanks, but no thanks for your educated discourse! That kind of love Dominica can do without. How does it hurt Mr. Skerrit and not Dominica when Thompson Fontaine and others go overseas and say that young men are just sitting around and asking for guns to do whatever. How does it hurt Mr. Skerrit and not Dominica when Thompson Fontaine and others continuously state that Dominica is the worst country in the Hemisphere in every sphere of endeavour.

        How does it hurt Mr. Skerrit and not Dominica when we urge people to do violent acts which affect so many innocent people? Shall I go on?

        These are the uneducated strategies which make these guys more and more frustrated because not all Dominicans listen only to the Q95 drivel, some of us listen to other perspectives, that is why we say that all corruption is corruption whether it is in the DAAS or in the government it is called by the same name and should also be abhorred, Mr. educated.

  22. cameron
    December 16, 2015

    Did night landing ever begin?,really Supreme Leader.

    • December 16, 2015

      Yes, as I have arrived at Douglas Charles/Melville Hall at nights on several occasions, sometimes as late as 11pm. So what is your point, are you saying that the thousands of us that LIAT brought in at nights were dreaming?

    • Francisco Etienne-Dods Telemaque
      December 16, 2015

      The only time it began and ended was when Skerrit paid his supporters way to Antigua, rented, paid LIAT to fly them back to Dominica, after six o\’clock in the afternoon to let it appear is if there would be night landing forever.

      When I was a kid the first Air Traffic controller at Melville Hall was a man named Carlton Felix, I used to go and wash his car. I would sit with him, until the last flight of the day which sometimes land at eight (8:00) o\’clock, at night and take off on a good summer day, then he would take me home to Wesley.

      Since Skerrit claimed night landing; have you seen any aircraft landing after ten o\’clock in the night, have you ever seen a landing and take off at midnight?

      That will never happen at Melville Hall Airport, even if the name is changed from Charles-Douglas, to Roosevelt Skerrit Airport!

      • D/can to de Bone (F)
        December 17, 2015

        You always on the blog and criticising your country all the time including the government. You have alot of issues and gouges . I never read an article where you give a positive comment on development in Dominica under the current administration . COME ON MAN ITS NOT THAT BAD. You are one of those political boom boom fly .

      • December 17, 2015

        Is Van Wyck Expressway the new name for the Roseau to Melville Hall road? I did not know the name had changed :twisted: :lol: :cry: :-P :mrgreen: :twisted:

      • December 17, 2015

        Mr. Telemaque, please be honest if you don’t know you can remain silent. I have landed at Melville on flights originating from Barbados, St. Marteen and Antigua, these flights landed after 8.00pm some as late as 11.30pm. We should not be even discussing this as this is a clear attempt to create a lie out the truth.

      • silver fox
        December 17, 2015

        Francisco Boo Boo, for a big man every time you open your mouth only Sh… comes out of it, having said that there are lots like you on Q95, on this PAGE and so called Workers Party.

    • d-a born
      December 17, 2015

      Carnival 2013, I landed from St Martin after 9pm…you smart or you smart?

  23. silver fox
    December 16, 2015

    Well done Mr. Skerrit Pm i will be back to my home Land soon not as a so-called stupid name diaspora but a true DOMINICAN who don’t like it well tough Sh…

    • Tjebe Fort
      December 16, 2015

      And look at your ticket fox and see if it says Douglas Charles or Melville Hall.

    • Francisco Etienne-Dods Telemaque
      December 17, 2015

      You are so damn uneducated, and stupid, you do not even know the meaning of the word diaspora, why don\’t you try to get an elementary education instead of making your idiotic, uneducated mentality shine on DNO?

      How can you be a diaspora, fool?

      If you were not so stupid, and uneducated you would know the word diaspora in simply term means scatter!

      Are you scattered all over the world, or some specific area? Idiot one can only live in the diaspora, meaning people who are settled far from their ancestral homelands. Everybody in Dominica are living in the diaspora, since Africa is our ancestral homeland!

      Say Francisco Etienne-Dods Telemaque told you, and indeed I am from Wesley, and Marigot, that is why I can wipe my feet on you educationally, so I advise you be very careful how you respond to my comments, unless you want to get leveled. And indeed Lennox has part of me, since my late grandmother was his aunt.

      When you wish to respond to my comments remember you are…

      • Francisco Etienne-Dods Telemaque
        December 17, 2015

        When you wish to respond to my comments remember you are not dealing with an idiot nor a bit of garbage like you!

      • weemama
        December 17, 2015

        Francisco it looks like some one got under your skin, well it’s time someone did you like to insulting but you can’t take it just like your blood line Linton.

  24. 4cuppeople
    December 16, 2015

    Do they have back-up generators and spear parts in the event the light goes out? I’m a day landing person, unless when I’m touching down in Dubai.

    • joli
      December 16, 2015

      Sir/Madam, the lights are solar,what the heck you need generators
      for? Geez.

      • Me
        December 17, 2015

        When did the sun start shining during the night?

    • silver fox
      December 16, 2015

      4Cuppeople, Stop that silly talk you sound like you are stupid . :lol:

      • 4cuppeople
        December 17, 2015

        @silver fock No intelligent person calls another person “stupid.” That says it all about you. Thanks for letting us know how dumb you really are. :twisted:

    • MY 2cents
      December 17, 2015

      As usual, Typical duminican talking about what they have NO idea about. For your info the new night landing lights are solar. So domlec lights going out according to you does not affect it. In the future i suggest you do some research before making your comments so you don’t sound silly

  25. Concerned
    December 16, 2015

    if I cannot leave an airport in the Caribbean before 1 pm to get to Dominica, I am very sorry but I will wait for the next day’s available flight. Night landing during the day is scary enough.

    • joli
      December 16, 2015

      Did you say night landing DURING THE DAY? .Idiot,night landing is just what it means,it takes place at night!

    • Cocock
      December 16, 2015

      The last time I came to Dominica I had to drink 20 sleeping pills so that I would not “see” the landing. Terrible and dangerous!

      • Sherma Alexander
        December 17, 2015

        I think you’re also very suicidal, well, unless this was “sarcasm.” Take it easy, the landing is not so bad man.

      • d-a born
        December 17, 2015

        Hahahaha…gotta admit, it’s freaking scary. I did it a few years ago and closed my eyes at one point

    • Zandoli
      December 16, 2015

      Night landing during the day? Am I missing something?

      • Concerned
        December 17, 2015

        The last part was meant to read……Night landing?????? During the day is scary enough! Oh you all are so mean.

      • Sherma Alexander
        December 18, 2015

        :-D

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