Chief Executive Officer of the Dominica Air and Seaport Authority (DASPA), Benoit Bardouille has announced that rehabilitation works to the taxiways at the Douglas-Charles airport is expected to be completed very early in April 2017.
He made that announcement during a special DASPA In Touch Programme on Thursday.
The airport suffered severe damages following the passage of Tropical Storm Erika which devastated parts of the island on August 27, 2015, and according to an official in the Ministry of Public Works, the damages was in excess of $41-million.
“We are making some progress as you can see taxiways are being prepared,” he said. “We are being told that a final date has been provided, very early April we should have a completion of the taxiways…”
He said new equipment is being placed in the airport’s tower, “so we are going top notch in terms of what we are doing to ensure persons working do not have to go through all the various sequences to get lights on.”
“We have put in LED on the lights now…,” Bardouille stated.
Meantime, he revealed that Seaborne Airlines have been given the clearance to land from the sea end at the airport.
“In the past when it was late and they could not proceed to Dominica because of either heavy cloud cover or they may have the visual conditions…they could not land, they had to go back to Puerto Rico or go back to another airport until such time they could do so,” Bardouille explained.
He continued, “Now they have been given clearance to go to the other end and land the aircraft, so that is good for us because of some of the things we are doing here.”
This airport is rubbish. What wrong with this country. Antigua Airport is beautiful. Imagine when passing through the departure lounge the floor is so cold, no rug or carpet, have to walk on this cold floor. Also when place your bag on the scanner still not able to see the weight. The air representative have to tell you the weight of the bag. Please Prime Minister build an international airport. Strop make people miss work cause the airport is close for high winds or flooding air strip. Dominica still look like when Christoper Columbus discover the place. Nothing has change. Roads are still falling into the rivers and valleys, unsafe bridges collapsing. Where has all the money gone which was given after Storm Erika. Build Dominica and the economy. Have benefits for the people not for you and your family pockets.
Where is the hospital in Marigot in case of any accidents at this airport? Die on your way to Portsmouth or Roseau?
Landing from the sea? Lets pray, for safe landing. But God forbide in the event a flight has to be aborted, after attempting to land. We all pray such never happens, but we have to be proactive and take into consideration such possibilities, cause is the mountain what stands in the way of the Air craft should an unfortunate situation as cited above, God watch over us.
almost 2 years after Erica the airport still looks like it is being hit by Erica. I am ashamed at how slowly we move to fix things properly. It was like ok. planes can land and take off? people can travel? of job done. that is it. the state of our national airport is appalling. you cant even get a snack in the departure lounge. There is only one metal detector to walk through. there are three bag scanners in the departure area for carry ons, but only one works. the other two are stored in the corner of the small room. People like bardouille and piper and tong travel quite often. At what point do they get FED UP with the way things look and operate for not only themselves but for visitors? Festive season came and went, and the place still looks exactly the same after erica.
@televangelist. It seems you didn’t see the condition of the airport after Erica,They have done some work in a slow pais,It sad every thing they do in Dominica always slow,
So you are the CEO of DASPA and Chairman of DDA at the same time? No wonder some people will always continue to sing praises to the most high Prime Deceiver. What a country!
Only a year late.
Im so sick of children with no sense runing a country build a dam international airport for crying out lound
This airport has got to be the biggest white elephant on the Caribbean
It would be nice if they install with clean and air conditioned washroom facilities. Second an airport restaurant free of flies and dust.
could someone tell me how much in total has been spent since the venezuelans did the so call upgrade night landing airport renaming and now this taxiway rehabilitation works and then tell me how much the st vincent airport cost to build
Improvements take time, give thanks regardless. Bless!
That’s great news!!