9 months ago
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The planned addition of a 300-metre safety zone to the runway at Norman Manley International Airport, NMIA, will cost US$66 million ($10.2 billion), funded by PAC Kingston Airport Limited, the entity that manages the airport.
The project is still in its design phase but is to completed in three years.
“The project is purely adding a required safety feature at NMIA. As the runway’s declared distances will not change significantly,” said PAC Kingston Airport CEO Sitara English-Byfield. PAC Kingston Airport Limited, also called PACKAL, is manager of NMIA.
The project will add 150 metres on each end of the runway that spans 2.7 kilometres, for increased safety for planes during emergencies. But to do that, the airport operator first needs to dump up land towards the harbour side of the runway.
“The project will be funded by the parent company of PAC Kingston Airport Limited, which is GAP,” said English-Byfield.
The investment will be recovered from aeronautical revenues, she said.
The runway upgrade will cost roughly the amount of money the airport currently generates in revenue.
Last year, NMIA generated 1.2 billion pesos ($10.1 billion) in revenue, up from $1.1 billion a year earlier, according to Pacific Airport Group (or Grupo Aeroportuario del Pacífico, GAP, in Spanish). Passenger traffic rose to 1.75 million from 1.6 million.
Minister of Science, Energy, Telecommunications and Transport Daryl Vaz said in Parliament that the government would reduce PAC Kingston’s concession fees to facilitate the runway extension.
“Additionally, there will be a cap on regulated airport charges to prevent tariff increases detrimental to airport traffic,” Vaz said.
The project will increase aircraft safety, but not attract larger aircraft to the airport, said English-Byfield.
“The design phase is expected to begin by middle of July 2024. The full project is expected to be completed in last quarter of 2027,” she said.
Last Thursday, an American Airlines plane with 167 passengers aboard veered off the side of the runway momentarily on landing. Also in 2009, an American Airlines flight overshot the runway, breaking into pieces. None of the 148 passengers and six crew were seriously injured in the incident. Both incidents happened during wet conditions.
PACKAL’s concession to operate NMIA ends in 2044.
The concession can be extended for an additional five-year period.
English (US) ·