Ogle Airport $400M 1st phase lifts off
Stabroek News
March 17, 2007
Correia: We are ready now to accommodate the smaller regional airline operators capable of providing direct linkages to the International Airports in Cayenne, Boa Vista, Porto Ordaz and Paramaribo
A view of the first phase of the Ogle Airport Terminal officially opened yesterday. (Jules Gibson photo)
The new $400M runway and terminal of the Ogle Airport were officially opened yesterday bringing significant development in Guyana's air transport infrastructure and the facility is now ready to host smaller regional airline operators.
However this is only the first phase of the project which represents the vision of five well-known local entrepreneurs and on completion of the second phase the airport would be ready to accommodate the larger airline operators from the Caribbean.
The airport has satisfied all of the safety requirements of the International Civil Avia-tion Organisation (ICAO) and its Chairman Michael Correia describes the project as a "continuously emerging and expanding national project."
"We are ready now to accommodate the smaller regional airline operators capable of providing direct linkages to the International Airports in Cayenne, Boa Vista, Puerto Ordaz and Paramaribo and to serve as a hub for through traffic from the Caribbean. We will be operating from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m.", Correia declared.
This first phase which has been successfully completed includes the construction of a 2000-ft long by 60 ft wide Class 1A runway built to international specifications, aircraft taxi and customs, immigration, health and air traffic control and a building designed to accommodate 75,000 passengers per year.
Roraima Airways Managing Director, Captain Gerald Gouveia; Correia, who also heads the country's Private Sector Commission; rice miller, Beni Sankar; forrester, Mazar Ally and former Director General of the Guyana Civil Aviation Autho-rity Anthony Mekdeci are the five businessmen who came together with the Government and Caricom and invested in the project.
Addressing the audience at the launching ceremony in the foyer of the terminal facility, Correia noted that Guyana would benefit from the establishment of a second national airport with permanent, immovable infrastructure, built, financed and managed by private investors, and supported and regulated by the Government.
Correia said "we believe Ogle Airport must of necessity play a critical role in our achieving that vision and developing that destiny for Guyana.
"In 1999, when GAC's operation, having cost billions of dollars in losses were closed, the Aircraft Owners Association gave our government a guarantee that we would provide an efficient and cost effective domestic air service at competitive rates. We believe that we have delivered on that undertaking," he said of the new terminal.
Correia shared his belief too that he and the other entrepreneurs in the project, have served as an example of a professional association of extremely diverse and competitive private businessmen working together in a highly complex and regulated industry in a common cause to serve the nation.
Ogle, he said, had become the hub of all domestic air transport travel and is now serving as the base for eight operators maintaining a fleet in excess of thirty aircraft, transporting approximately 60,000 passengers and 3000 tons of cargo per year.
This, he added, represented an investment of about $3B in fixed assets, aircraft and equipment.
Caricom Secretary General Dr. Edwin Carrington was also instrumental in championing the development of the airport and played a critical role along with government in securing funding for the project's second phase.
Carrington took great pride in expressing how proud he was of the achievement which he termed, "the threshold of the realization of a dream."
"As secretary general of Caricom I was privileged to turn the keys of our very own headquarters at Turkeyen and it was added pleasure to be part of the opening of the International Conference Centre and now I am proud to be addressing the ceremony to mark the end of the 1st phase of the airport," he said.
Carrington pointed too to the proximity of the airport to the Caricom headquarters and noted that with the recent strides made, "you could well be on your way to equipping Georgetown as the Brussels of the Caribbean".
He noted too that the significance of the airport would not be underestimated and commended the government for supporting the initiative.
He said once Caricom had learnt of the initiative it was happy to lend support and in this vein too extended gratitude to CARIFORUM for its backing.
"This airport is well poised to becoming a new regional airport and will facilitate the co-mingling of our peoples," Carrington said.
Carrington said too that the airport will open opportunities for the country's tourism sector and being just five minutes from the secretariat building will go a far way in facilitating easier travel for its staff.
Taking the risk
President Bharrat Jagdeo who delivered the feature address said the Ogle airport project was evidence of an effort by five businessmen who were willing to 'take the risk' and invest for the good of the country.
"What we see here is a product of hard work and of something that we badly lacked because of …bad times, we went through a lot and didn't have the ability to take risks," he told the gathering.
In this vein, too, Jagdeo said that the development had a long way to go before it started to make money but congratulated the investors who he said were "prepared to be in this over the long term and not for the short term profit making aim."
Jagdeo said the airport project was one inserted by the government under a wider US$32M Air Transport programme.
This programme, he said, also included changes in legislation governing the sector and the local civil aviation body and the creating of an airport authority.
"But we had to decide what we would have done with Ogle, if we would have made it government owned or if we would involve the private sector," he said.
He said the project was as a result of hard work and commended the entrepreneurs for their commitment.
"I admire them, their perseverance through it all and this quality is essential if our country will achieve its vision and fulfill collective goals," Jagdeo said.
The president urged too a sense of patriotism among Guyanese and the drifting away from talking of only negatives.
He reiterated his government's commitment to working with the private sector for the country's good and noted that he would not respond to persons who continually question his government's dedication to supporting the private sector.
The second phase which will further widen the airport's runway by 100 ft and lengthen it to 4,000 feet will be funded under a $600M grant from the European Union.
Caricom secured the funds for the project and that agreement was signed by Caricom secretary general Carrington early this year. The EU grant is in the process of going to tender for the second phase which should begin in another three months.
Once the second phase is completed too the runway will be able to accommodate Twin Turbo Prop Dash 8,333 and other aircraft of similar capacity. It will also further widen the taxiways, increase the size of the parking apron and feature additional drainage, fencing and the installation of runway lights as well as an improved navigation system. A third phase would also be considered to deal with future airport growth requirements.
The airport will operate from 6 am to 6 pm and when the second phase is completed this would be extended to 10 pm. (Heppilena Ferguson)