THE plan to upgrade Norman Manley International Airport (NMIA) in Kingston has begun. Numerous complaints and concerns over the state and operations of the airport have prompted PAC Kingston Airport Limited (PACKAL), the operators of the airport, to take action.

“The situation that was preventing us from doing it 100 per cent is not here any more. I know that visiting the airport nowadays is not very comfortable and I, as the chief executive officer, need to fix that as soon as possible,” said PACKAL’s CEO Fernando Vistrain Lorence.

The air-conditioning (AC) system in the airport has been down during the hottest months on record. To alleviate the problem, portable coolers have been installed in the interim, with plans to install an additional five units in the main corridors.

“In the medium term, we will install 40-tonne package AC units in strategic areas of the terminal. It is clear, however, that in the long term, the entire system requires full replacement,” he revealed.

The upgrade of the airport has, however, begun with the replacement of the entry doors from rotating to sliding doors. But more renovations are afoot this year. Kaydian Dawes Wynter, commercial and car park manager, gave a breakdown of the projects and their timeline for implementation this year. First, addressing the frequent malfunction of the pay stations at the car park, she revealed there will be a temporary discontinuation of the use of the pay stations and additional staff has been hired to assist at the cashier booths.

“These measures will continue until all the issues are resolved,” Dawes Wynter asserts.

A request for proposal (RFP) was released for the development and management of a service station in March 2022, a bidder was selected but later withdrew in December.

“The RFP for the convenience and service store will be reissued in September 2023; however, we will be doing it at another location,” she revealed. That location is at the exit of the roundabout of the airport. “We’re of the view that this is a better space, for one it’s bigger, and bidders can consider including a pharmacy or even a Popeyes franchise,” she said.

The arrival’s duty-free tender was released in December 2022; however, circumstances resulted in a delay, it is hoped the tender will be released before the end of the year.

“We will be reconfiguring the location to allow for bigger concession space to allow passengers to move freely within the space, this will also encourage shopping,” she shared.

The tender for the operations of the taxi concession was also released in May 2023. Two companies were awarded, and the concession will commence on October 1, 2023. Vehicle rental concession tender was also released in June 2023, this is in progress and the proposals are being evaluated.

The terminal will be redeveloped and all concession categories within food and beverage, duty-free, and retail will be included in the RFP process.

“The corridor leading to the boarding base, where we have the Barita wall, will also be included in the commercial development,” she said, while showing preliminary design concepts of the new layout of the terminal.

In 2020, PAC Kingston Airport Limited, PACKAL, operator of NMIA, in Kingston had previously committed to invest more than US$100 million to upgrade the airport. This included a five-megawatt solar power project at a cost of US$7.8 million, which will provide between 70 and 75 per cent of the power consumption of NMIA.

Phase one of the solar farm, consisting of 2.5 megawatts, is now fully functional and complete. Phase two should conclude the remaining megawatts. PACKAL has received approval and is currently waiting for suppliers to be engaged.

Runway pavement improvements and rehabilitation works valued at US$4.5 million are slated to commence in June 2022 for completion by September of the same year. However, that plan was pushed back to the first quarter of this year, and then more delays.

“We will determine how fast we can start, our hope is early November,” said Lorence. “This means that we will have to close the runway for a period between three and six months during the night to do a full overlay of the runway,” he added.

Restrooms will also be rehabilitated within the same timeline, and this includes all bathrooms within the airport. PACKAL has also teamed up with Kingston Creatives to add art to the infrastructure, including murals and additional decor of the entry and exit of the NMIA to welcome guests.

Upgrades to the airport had been delayed for over two years due to a heavy fall in traffic during the pandemic. NMIA has since seen improvement in passenger arrivals, approximately 1,012,000 passengers were recorded from July 2022 to July 2023, a jump of 205,000 passengers in a year and an increase of 617,000 passengers from 2020.