THE Management of the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA) has undertaken to submit a comprehensive report on the airport’s expansion project to Minister of Public Infrastructure David Patterson by Friday. “This document will afford the Minister an opportunity to familiarise himself with the project before discussing it at Cabinet,” the airport authority has said.
The airport expansion project was conceptualised under the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) Administration and a contract was inked with China Harbour Engineering (CHEC) in 2011.
Key components of the expansion project include the extension of the runway from 7,500 to 10,800 feet to accommodate the Boeing 747-400 aircraft; doubling of aircraft position from four to eight; installation of eight passenger boarding bridges; and the fortification of the CCTV system with approximately 300 cameras.

Recently, the Minister of Public Infrastructure was afforded the opportunity to tour the site of the US$150M expansion project, and was briefed on the project design of the new terminal building and the relocation of persons squatting on land belonging to the CJIA.
Following the tour and presentation, Minister Patterson told CJIA’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Ramesh Ghir, officials of the Guyana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) and engineers from the Ministry and CJIA that the information provided to him “was a lot to contemplate.”
TANGIBLE JUSTIFICATIONS
The Minister said that his Government has no issue with the extension of the runway, “but tangible justifications must be provided for the construction of a new terminal building, since it hinges on the final cost of the project.”
Reflecting on the concerns of persons occupying CJIA’s land, relocation options were suggested, including the establishment of a housing scheme at Yarrowkabra, Linden Highway. However, the Minister indicated that the concern has to be addressed as a social issue and charged the stakeholders to arrive at an acceptable solution, since the approval of the expansion project will hinge on a successful resolution of this matter.