Night landing to begin effective September 8

A LIAT plane can be seen approaching the air strip. Photo courtesy LIAT

From September 8, Dominica can commence night landing as the island now holds certification from the Eastern Caribbean Civil Aviation Authority (ECCAA), after having met all the standards set forth.

Minister for Public Works and Ports Rayburn Blackmoore said this morning at a press conference that the island can now facilitate landing and take-offs at the the Melville Hall Airport at nights.

“Preceding that we had received from the ECCAA certification for take-off on August 10, 2009,” he recalled.

According to the him, the milestone achievement will serve to the betterment of Dominicans as Government has recognized the importance of night landing in this regard.

In early 2006 government entered into a financial agreement with the Caribbean Forum for African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) States where more than $11 million was secured for the development of the island’s airport facilities, in preparation for night landing.

“The process of commencing the light landing here on the island has been a long and hard one,” the minister said. He cited the improvement to the airport itself and access roads among others.

“We want at this juncture, to express our most profound gratitude to our benefactors. Firstly, the European Union and the government and people of Venezuela and a number of local persons and professionals” the minister said.

By September 21 the airport  procedure charts, which is a digital chart required by some airplanes, will be completed and the airport will also be equipped with Global Positioning Systems (GPS) facilities for air crafts that require it.

“The chart (the graphics) that is supposed to be used by all airmen will be finalized…” the minster said.

In the interim however, the Melville Hall airport will be using a radar type approach with the assistance of Guadeloupe and Martinique.

“What we are seeking to do is have the French assist the airmen to get to Dominica’s airport with no escort whatsoever…” he said.


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32 Comments

  1. Anonymous
    September 3, 2010

    @Anonymous:you are so right Dom are never satisfied complain complain no wonder we do not grow when are we going to lift up instead of tearing down folks let us lift up the country and support each of our felllow man for a better country and people

  2. Annette
    August 31, 2010

    If we were working like how we running our mouths, Dominica would have been fuda ahead.

  3. Anne
    August 31, 2010

    @BWA DIABE: well said

  4. hmm
    August 31, 2010

    what did liat say clouds have to be what….hmm so folks on night flights can be prepared to have 2 circles outside in the 10 miles raduis .

    capt comes over the pa ladies and gentlemen unfortunatley due to low cloud cover and winds over 10 knots we are unable to land so we procceding back to Antigua, on arrival back the customer service agent will meet you inside…have a good evening!!

    thats will be a norm trust me on that……good luck to those who want to be hero’s coming into melville hall at nights..radar gps or what ever this area is known for alot of low cloud and in the future will be a headache of the local officals here….trust me on that….

    liat pilots know what melville hall area gives and wont ever risk safety and lives just to please some blinded local officals who just cant get it that melville hall is a viable option for night services…

  5. Damn it!
    August 31, 2010

    @Help me book that flight: yeah am having the same problem, its not yet on the schedule!!!! I called liat customer care and no answer, it really looks like i have to spend that money in Puerto Rico in vain.

  6. Just Another Guy On The Street
    August 31, 2010

    @Ralph:

    Then why not approach Chavez to fund Green Energy, are you aware he is doing that now in his country with all the oil he has? They was so much talk about Geothermal Energy, maybe now they should stop sleeping, put country before pocket and get a move on ALL forms of Green Energy!!!

  7. Just Another Guy On The Street
    August 31, 2010

    @BWA DIABE:

    Are you aware that there is an international airport being developed in that country??

  8. Looking up
    August 31, 2010

    All the best DA. BIG UP.

  9. Homeboy
    August 31, 2010

    Wow! Too much negativity and too much politicizing of developments that will benefit the island. To the people predicting disaster, that is down right shameful. You have to start somewhere! Be thankful for night landing.

    I ain’t no rite ( Laborite, Freedomrite, UWP’ ite)! Give development and DA a chance that is all I am saying.

  10. Resilient
    August 31, 2010

    @The Rock: Are you people for real?That is the best you could come up with ,for the whole wide world to read? This is not DWW (D/ca Wide Web)
    Leave the vulgarity off the blogg,it does not enrich or add to the discussion on the topic at hand.Let’s use the bloggs to enlighten,uplift and educate.Transform that tunnel vision thinking,at the end of the day it is still your country.

  11. Dr. Finger
    August 31, 2010

    Fantastic news!!!!!! Let us all be thankful for what we have have so far. The issue of what “should” have been is irrelevant at the moment. We can all argue that it should have been an international airport but the fact is we don’t have one yet. We have a small airport with night landing capabilities and all Dominicans regardless of political party affiliation should be happy. Enough of all the political bickering because its this party that did it. Come on people, how can night landing capabilities be a wrong move regardless of the size of the airport? If you don’t want to fly at night then its ok. Thats your personal choice. Those of us that have been begging for it appreciate what we have so far regardless of which political party be support.

  12. de traveler
    August 30, 2010

    It’s intriguing why so many people are worried about where people are gonna overnight when they get to Dominica, ( I take it they mean Marigot). Well let me shine some “light” on that, no pun intended. Night landing does not only mean “landings”, it also includes “take offs,” so if u get to Dominica at night and that’s not your destination I’m pretty sure you will be on the next fight out THAT VERY NIGHT to your other well lite runway somewhere in the Caribbean!! Here, overnighters problem solved!! Oh, except if u on LIAT, then you pwi!! And by de way I not coming down there at nite eh…lol

  13. Anonymous
    August 30, 2010

    Damnit !!!!! Give them a break nah man. We Dominicans are too quick to negatively criticize what’s ours and uplift what’s not ours. We travel from the US to Dominica and sometimes get stranded in either San Juan or Antigua because of unforseen circumstances, we sit at those airports and blast Dominica because of limited flights to the island. Now that they are trying to make night landing to make flying easier for us we complain. Humans I tell you, will never be satisified ,especially Dominicans.

  14. Help me book that flight
    August 30, 2010

    I am trying to be on that flight for Sepyember 8, but unable to locate it on any of the airlines site. Could anyone out there tell me the flight number and the name of the carrier for the sept 8 fight?

  15. August 30, 2010

    To Damn it!!!!!!!!!!, I can imagine your regret, and I sympathize with you. I wish you could change the condition of your flight for that day. But if not, God will help you overcome.

    As for me, I do not plan to travel to Dominica until 2012, God permit. But I am glad that I will not have to worry about the expense of overnight in Barbados or one of the other islands. Thanks to God also, that the night landing operation might be better improved,

  16. ND
    August 30, 2010

    Rome wasn’t built in a day. We’re making steps, thats good. If it was sooo easy and obvious to build the international airport, I think it would have been underway already. In the mean time we an only encourage these steps in the right direction.

  17. Ralph
    August 30, 2010

    Night landing is a good thing. You can also rest assured that DOMlec will run the Gov’t broke. So Gov’t better have an exit strategy for when their electricity bill for lights to facilitate night landing reaches one million dollars a month – and it will.

    I suggest that exit strategy should inlcuding approaching Chavez for funds to buy DOMlec. Ttrust me, that is very important since Domles is the ‘THING’ preventing investors from investing in business in D/a where electric bill is usually higher than profit margin…

  18. Eh beh weh
    August 30, 2010

    IF i say if we do have sustained night landing in dominica then that means people are going to need place to sleep this is s obvious. That is why the UWP government was planning to have hotels built simultaneously with the international airport but we saw a complete disregard for that project that was already started, remember the thirty million spent to compensate land owners in the woodford hill area. But then these guys came and played games with such an important start. Now we have spent almost the same amount of money to light a very dangerous place to land even during the day. If these moneys had been used to continue what was already started i am certain that we would have had an international airport right now. So instead of celebrating the lighting up of this jungle strip we would have been witnessing the commissioning of our international airport. GOOD LUCK TO ALL OF YOU WHO PLAN TO BOOK YOUR FLIGHTS TO LAND IN THAT MILITARY TYPE JUNGLE STRIP!

  19. Eh beh weh
    August 30, 2010

    chavez jr you obviously have a very low sense of satisfaction. I mean when i read comments like yours and others like you i realize that Dominica will take ages to develop. We deserve more than that night landing of a two by four air strip yes airstrip because in every other sister island in the windwards we alone will have alighted airstrip. I mean be serious chavez jr, i hope you have traveled to other countries to see the condition of their airports and their roads. I mean chavez jr when your god skerro goes out on his trips them doesn’t he see the condition of these people roads and when he get visiting dignitaries doesn’t he feel embarrass to have them people driving on such deplorable roads? You don’t have to respond cause i know you all defenders of the faith you all always have an excuse or justification why all this absurdity is going on in our country.

  20. wow
    August 30, 2010

    A cabinet or better a closet of clowns…They have made Dominica the laughing stalk of the world…Not me with night landing at Melvillehall…

  21. BWA DIABE
    August 30, 2010

    what is dominicans problem i know what they so confused and want every thing when it comes they afraid to welcome it so instead to pray for the best they curse it. u start with mellville hall and then improve as time goes by.st vincent dosent have international airport they have night landing st kitts have international airport with very limited international flights, the international airport money was used up to pay salaries by the famous U WP who now have all the answers to dominica’s problem

  22. BossLa
    August 30, 2010

    @only:

    If you were keeping informed, you’ll see this is being worked on. Look up his speech after is visit to Morocco.

  23. road dog
    August 30, 2010

    we will put bos eye on the mountain and let the whole cabinet land from the mountain side.jokers in a pack of cards.

  24. The Rock
    August 30, 2010

    Lets see who will be the first “Monkeys” to end up on a fig tree, when the plane miss the runway and realize that it only mountain or fig trees that is available for a crash landing. Ah Bey Weh, look joke!

  25. Righteous
    August 30, 2010

    i totally agree even with night landind where are people going to spend the night. there is nothing in place to accomodate them. so i think all we do as usual is put the goost before the gander.

  26. Help those coming in by night
    August 30, 2010

    I welcome night landing, but I will not come in at night but only fly out at night. This will give me the chance to spend more time in Dominca on the same day of my flight. With a flight at 8 pm I can leave Roseau at 4 pm. For now there is too much uncertainty with night landing, but once the plnae lands it is much easier to fly out. Pilots coming in has to be guided by Airport personnel in Guadeloup and Martinique?. Life is serious and you cannot have french speaking men guiding english speaking piolt trying to land at night into Dominica. The photo by itself is frightening. Lord help those coming in by night. .

  27. famme beef
    August 30, 2010

    @only: would be great if the villas were in marigot

  28. Damn it!!!!!!!!!!!!!
    August 30, 2010

    I just booked my ticket to dominica yesterday,for the 8th! overnighting in PR.

    Mehn that sucks!!!! Now am gonna be paying hotel in vain!

  29. HOW
    August 30, 2010

    BLACKMORE and the rest of the clowns in govt,what we need is an International Airport…

  30. looking
    August 30, 2010

    looking from the mountain top with a beacon!!

  31. Chavez Jr.
    August 30, 2010

    Thats an other level, we are getting there slowly but surely, people lets appreciate the little that we have. We move one step at a time. As a person specializing in interrnational transport, this will surely facilitate easier acceess, reduce the cost in getting to D/ca, faster correo service, facilitate the traveling business personnel etc.Hats off to all. Te quiero Dominica, te extraño.

  32. only
    August 30, 2010

    Even with night landings, where are people suppose to go that is nearby to stay for a night that are not from DA?

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