The United Workers Party (UWP) is firmly committed to the construction of the international airport, and is fully confident of the its ability to deliver on the promise of an International Airport.
This is according to UWP hopeful for Castle Bruce, Isaac Baptiste.
“We The United Workers Party Team Dominica reassure you the Dominican public here and abroad, and our international investment partners, that a major pillar of the UWP Team Dominica Government’s plans to grow the Economy by 5-7%, and create 5000 new sustainable jobs in the first three years, will be the development of comprehensive, competitive, modernized, sea and air access to Dominica, to include… Construction of the international airport project develop by the United Workers Party since 2000 … Facilitating establishment of a Dominica based airline …and … establishment and expansion of high speed ferry services to Dominica,” he said at a press conference earlier this week.
Baptiste went on to outline the work done by the UWP in its short four and a half years, towards the construction of the international airport, saying that, unlike the DLP’s hesitant approach, the UWP Government had long ago developed advanced and comprehensive plans for an international airport.
The party’s government had prepared detailed designs for construction of the facility. A feasibility study had been done and 448 acres of land had been purchased from 161 land owners between Wesley and Woodford Hill for runway and airside facilities construction.
Further, the UWP Government had bought, by private treaty, the Londonderry Estate for hotel development and relocation of farmers who would have been displaced by the project.
He said by the time the UWP Government left office, it had successfully negotiated and left behind over $110-million in grants and soft loans from the EU and Taiwan for construction of an international airport.
Additionally, reputable international financiers and developers such as the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce, Geest Industries and Four Seasons Hotel had given firm commitments to construct high end hotels and related tourism development projects to coincide with commissioning of an international airport. Plans were developed for the construction of the Jungle Bay Hotel, Rosalie Bay Hotel and the Woodford Hill Beach Hotel as well as the Cabrits Resort.
He noted that the Douglas family — the owners of the approximately 1,000-acre Hampstead Estate — were pursuing the development of the estate into a tourism resort, dependent on the international airport.
Baptiste also chided prime minister Roosevelt Skerrit for ignoring and disrespecting the supporters of Rosie Douglas and Pierre Charles and referred to Skerrit’s move to rename the airport in the hope of wooing back supporters of Rosie Douglas and Pierre Charles whom he has alienated since taking office.
“At best, [it] seems to be the desperate action of a drowning Prime Minister grasping at straws, at worst the actions of a political traitor,” Baptiste opined.
He urged citizens to consider Skerrit’s renaming exercise as nothing more than an empty political gimmick, and to dismiss any further promise him to build international airport with the contempt that it deserves.
who gave us world creole festival U W P
Build it and they will come
Without regard of who would finance an International Airport, do we need it apart from National Pride? Who would pay of course is the people of Dominica but for what. An International Airport that if a very large plane landed, would hold more persons than arrive each day on existing flights. Market Dominica on exclusiveness and beauty not cheapness. What are the arrival numbers at Melville Hall anyway, would Airlines put larger planes on international routes into Dominica for a few passengers, I doubt it but it would be better to find out before spending Dominica’s future wealth
There is this part in the Bible that says ” I will give you all these if you will adore me.” Something of course that was not possible to do. This International Airport promise by the UWP makes me remember that sentence from the bible.
A. Joke that
so true !
The answer to your questions is simple; The same place the other leaders of the Caribbean get monies to build their International Airports; dummiesssssssssss! In St. Vincent no one crying though and they build their Int. Airport ”
Idiots!”
Wait! Wait until the last word on that St. Vincent airport comes out. And, what is the definition of international airport anyway? You guys just allowing words and phrases tossed about to shape your utterances. Do some real research and analysis for a change. But then again the folks you listening too (and fooling around with you) have no time for analysis and data. They said it, not me.
yes, but hold on, they have not yet seen the tax bills !
Where are we getting the funds to do this unless we add more debt that we owe to China. Did he not read that article earlier written by Nassief ? This international airport is pipe dream. Let us concentrate on a modern medical facility first .
Just as a point of information .. Hampstead Estate is significantly less than half the size reported here. Makes you wonder that if basic information like that is faulty .. what else is?
Espoir mal papaye. Keep on dreaming dream team.
why do Dominican doubt their self so much too low self confidence every other island found funding for an international airport all i keep herring is WE CANNOT BUILD ONE
another parrot. Stop imbibing that thing. Think, and think again. Have you been to Mellville Hall lately? If you had, you’d notice how dead the place is. And if (there wont be a when) what’s going to keep it alive and viable? What do they hope to ship from their? Sand?
Can’t believe that a smart group of guys would promote this fantasy. An airport is not international by virtue of its length. It would be by virtue of the traffic and destinations. No international airline would have a direct flight to Dominica. Not even from New York or Florida. The volumes will never support it.
Much larger countries have given up on the foolish pride of their own airline. The economics just do not work.
Geez….can we get off this? Let’s get richer by focusing/relishing on our smallness and looking for profitable niches.
Skeritt had direct charter flights from Miami to Dominica to bring in His voters though for the last election
That is a comment full of good sense. Nice to read this . Thank you .
What a joke!
Mr. Baptiste, how can a party that has continually been rejected by the Dominican voters build an International Airport when it has no chance at all in EVER being the Government of this Country? The fact is that the United Wicked People are a very small minority. There are more than 60,000 Laborites waiting to reject your party once again but this time even more decisively! Please stop talking about plans that you will never be able to bring to fruition. I suggest you leave these things to the true professionals within the greatest Labor Administration of all time. Mr. Baptiste you allow the Loser Linton to put his idiotic ideas on a piece of paper and to send you out there to look even more foolish than him being that you have no clue what you are even speaking about!
My friends in high places and I laugh at the simple-mindedness of these men and women who believe that stupid empty promises will give them the beloved Prime Minister’s Office. How silly! Dr. Roosevelt Skerrit will deliver an International Airport when he sees fit. You silly people need to wait for the great Prime Minister to finalize his plans like the rest of us…geez!
Pies in the sky.
Talk is cheap, can you be a little more explicit as to how you gonna fund that Hugh undertaking. The planes that are landing are practically empty. Do you travel and how often? Remember you are going to abolish vat, departure tax, and other sources of revenues that every government depends on to function. You have also promised to pave the streets of DA in gold, and build a stairway and a bridge to nowhere. When will you guys get off your high horse and la la land and talk about the issues that are crippling the island. We are intelligent people who do not need to be insulted by your rhetoric
Bravo. You have said it all!!!
I have never seen air but it exists.
I have never seen the memorandum of understanding between China and Dominica but it exists.
Many intellectuals once gave a young man with dimples a chance…… despite blatant disrespect, the once young man is still being adored and not scolded.
UWP may turn out to be worst than LABOUR, or better, but we should not dwell the negatives.
May the once young man make the best of the chance given to him and may whoever runs the next term make the best of that chance.
May those who can put a stop to the negativity, do so and help ensure that Dominica will be there our offspring.
Where were you when for the last 14 years, Lennox Linton heaped every kind of insult on the dimpled man. Wasn’t a Sunday (there were other days, too) that went by when his worship sullied the dimple man’s name, calling the most pejoratives and debasing expletives he, Linton could find to describe a person he does not like. And now the shoe is on the other foot, you and your supporters crying fowl. As far as most Dominicans (right-thinking) are concerned, what’s good for the goose…well you know the rest.
As for me, what astonishes me is that Lennox Linton, who has done nothing to improve Dominica in anyway, is suddenly a consideration for Prime Minister in our country. What a turn of events, only in Dominica. Any other country, with a man with Lennox’s record, he would be laughed out of town.
Aiee Dominique is right.
I’d love to hear a fair explanation as to how will this be financed. No politics, simple facts. How much ? Where will the money come from ? How to pay back ?
We also need simple facts regarding what is expected of Dominica (i.e. Dominicans) to compensate for our recent infrastructural development.
yawn, we tired hear/see that international airport story…..what else you guys got?
Stupes…..
Rather the devil you know!!!
110 million for an international airport
ok then….what about the 5 star resort in the kalinago Territory…I would really like some more info on that
when a bird is locked up in a cage it sings all nice tunes to let it out ,when it is out of the cage its a different tune