Ogle airport expansion to be open by March 2006 - President, stakeholders in discuss phase II financing with CARICOM

In effort to make the transport sector more efficient, Government has assisted in the upgrading the Ogle Airport to a Municipal Airport shortly. However, while private financers have funded Phase I at a cost of US$1.5M, the finances for Phase 11 has not been secured.
Today, after a site visit to the runway under construction, President Bharrat Jagdeo said he, along with the stakeholders of the project, have been in discussion with the CARICOM Secretary General to secure funding.
“We had a discussion. We are trying to see if we can get in funded as a regional project through the European Union regional programme. If any of the projects would have merit, this one would, because it would link most of the countries of the Region to the CARICOM Secretariat. So it would be very important, offering services to the whole Region rather than many of the other Regional projects that have an impact only on a specific country,” he said.
The first phase of the Ogle Airport Development Project will involve the construction of a new runway measuring 2,500 ft x 60 ft. The runway is six inches thick and is estimated at about three feet above the surrounding area.
At present all is set for completion of the first phase, Project Manager Anthony Mekdeci told President Jagdeo this afternoon, however, it is being delayed by the rain.
The concrete runway has no surface, but Mekdeci explained that this is better for landing flights, as the asphalted runway spreads after a while because of constant heat.
However, the airport project team is confident that the new runway would be ready for flights by March 2006.
According to Malcolm Chan-a-Sue, who is in charge of Aviation safety and Security, the new Municipal Airport would be in keeping with International Aviation Standards.
Phase 11 of the project, Michael Correia, President of the Ogle Airport Incorporated said, will be completed within a year of the finances being secured. He noted that the CARICOM Secretary General Dr. Edwin Carrington has disclosed that the matter it will be discussed when the CARICOM Heads meet during their next meeting.
However, President Jagdeo expressed concern that it may be too long, giving the set completion of before the 2007 World Cup Cricket in Guyana. The upgrading of the Ogle aerodrome to a municipal airport is said to be a big boost to travel during that period.
Phase II of the project entails expanding the width existing runway to 100 ft and increasing the length to 4,000 ft and 10 inches of concrete, at a cost of US$3M
Additionally, there are eight houselots with 10 households nearby the airport project. This would cause some problem to phase II and the residents have agreed to relocate. Public Relations Officer for the project, Kit Nacimento noted that nearby areas would be developed to house shops and makes the area more attractive.
Another feature of phase II is construction of a terminal at US$500,000. A distance of 1,000 ft. has been catered for on the runway in the event of future expansion, the Project Manager said. On completion of the entire project a 50- passenger aircraft (possibly a Dash 8) can land at the airport, as the terminal will have the ability to process 200 passengers per day. The terminals will be located at the eastern end of the airport with the entrance to the northern end.
President Jagdeo noted that he is very impressed with the project, as from the aerial view it did not seem to have made much progress. However, the site view revealed differently.
In September 2003, President Jagdeo unveiled the cornerstone, to commemorate the project. In August 2002, under a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), signed by the Minister of Transport and Hydraulics Mr. Anthony Xavier, Ogle Airport Incorporated agreed with Government on a plan to develop Ogle in two phases over the next five years. The first phase will address mandatory safety improvements required by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and will include a runway parallel to the existing runway, a new terminal facility, development of the hard-standing aircraft taxi and parking areas, new and improved drainage, and improved facilities for customs, immigration, air traffic control and health and fire services. The second phase will convert the First Phase terminal to domestic operations only, and will extend the runway.
The investors of the first phase are Beni Sankar, Yacoob and Mazar Ally, Michael Correia, Anthony Mekdeci, and Gerry Gouveia. When the Airport is upgraded it will accommodate international flights to locations such as Boa Vista, Porto Ordaz, Paramaribo, Barbados and Trinidad and Tobago. The Finance Consultant is Sugrim Mohammed.
President Jagdeo noted that with the expansion of the Airport, the tourism industry will also expand, and Government has been working to develop this sector.
The design for the airport project was done by Design Construction Services Limited.