US$2M air bridges for CJIA arrive

Aug 20, 2022 News

– expected to be installed next month

Kaieteur News – Air bridges valued at US$2M for the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA) have arrived and are expected to be installed sometime next month.

One of the air bridges [DPI photo]

CJIA’s Public Relation Officer (PRO), Shunza Samuels shared this development with the Department of Public Information (DPI).

It was in September 2021, when the Ministry of Public Works awarded a contract for US$2M to a local company, Total Solutions, for the supply of two additional air bridges for the airport.

Kaieteur News had reported that the Ministry paid some US$350,000 more for two air bridges when compared to a similar purchase made by the previous administration.

However, it was clarified that the new air bridges are for larger code D and E size aircraft. These are the wide-bodied aircraft used for transatlantic flights like the British Airways (BA) aircraft that are expected to fly here from March 2023.

Recently, Minister of Public Works, Juan Edghill disclosed that construction at the airport will continue even though Chinese contractor, China Harbour Engineering Company (CHEC) has completed its part under the US$150 million(+) airport expansion contract.

The airport expansion contract was signed in 2011 under then President, Bharrat Jagdeo, and was passed through the truncated presidency of Donald Ramotar.

However, when the David Granger administration took over in 2015, it said that the very defective plan needed adjustments and changes were made. The decade-old project was awarded to CHEC for the sum of US$150 million: $138 million from the China Exim Bank and $12 million from the consolidated fund – taxpayers’ money.

When the PPP administration took office in August 2020, Minister Edghill stated that they were not satisfied with the work that was done by the contractor and as such, they had negotiated and gotten CHEC to do additional works at the airport at no cost to Guyana. The additional works that were done by the contractor included a superstructure, corridor and curtain wall. It was only recently that CHEC completed the works on the airport.

Kaieteur News had reported that with over US$166 million already pumped into the expansion of the airport – citizens should expect more of their taxpayers’ dollars going towards the ‘continued modernisation’ of the airport.

While the contract cost with the Chinese contractor remains at US$150M, the government revealed that it is undertaking several multi-million upgrades to the airport which were separated into three parts.

Minister Edghill had stated that in relation to the works being undertaken by the government at the airport, most of it should be completed within the next 18 months.

Notwithstanding, the current additional projects at CJIA, Minister Edghill said the government has to continue making more accommodation. He said, “We have to continue to make more accommodation, I think sooner or later with the oil and gas sector growing and tourism growing and bringing in high profile tourists, we will have to have facilities for corporate jets, luxury lines…people coming here with private planes to go and do things; we have to keep expanding…”

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