The operators of the Sangster International

Airport in Montego Bay, St. James, have commenced work to extend the runway at

a cost of US$70 million.

The project, for which ground was broken on

Thursday (December 12), will entail, among other things, the length of the

strip being increased from 2,662 metres to 2,940 metres.

The

extension will facilitate the establishment of safety areas at either end of

the runway and the installation of a jet blast screen intended to enhance the

safe and effective use of the taxiway.

It is also expected to reposition the airport to accommodate

larger, more powerful planes, while significantly reducing arrival and

departure timelines. The development is slated for completion by

the end of the third quarter of 2020.

Sangster International Airport is

being operated by MBJ Airports Limited, under a 30-year concession agreement

with the Government.

The entity is a subsidiary of the partnership

between Mexican entity, GAP, and the Vantage Airport Group, headquartered in

Canada.

Speaking at Thursday’s ceremony, Transport

and Mining Minister, Hon. Robert Montague, said the programmed extension forms

part of MBJ Airports’ capital improvement plan, designed to ensure the

facility’s continued compliance with local and international aviation safety

and security standards.

Mr. Montague said that in order to ensure the

project’s sustainability, the requisite enabling works that are integral to the

undertaking will be executed.

“There will be additional metres of safety zones, which will

bring the runway into compliance with International Civil Aviation Organization

standards. It is, indeed, a comprehensive overhaul that [will amount] to a far

safer and more efficient airport,” the Minister further stated.

These inputs, he pointed out, are expected to enhance the safety protocol to facilitate heavier aircraft.

Mr. Montague noted that since Sangster

Airport’s privatisation in 2003, “every effort has been made [by the operators]

to ensure that there continues to be significant improvement [to the facility]”,

the third largest in the region.

 “The airport serves as the primary gateway to

Jamaica and facilitates the transit of more than 85 per cent of tourists

arriving on the island and served a total of over 4.54 million passengers in

2018,” he informed.

Mr.

Montague said the new runway will guarantee the arrival of bigger planes and

more visitors, adding that “tourism and other related services will benefit

tremendously”.

He further contended that it will have a domino effect that

revolutionises the entire travel experience to Montego Bay and, ultimately, boost

Jamaica’s economy.