Govt mulls US$50M upgrade of CJIA- hopes to make Guyana hub for international traffic

By Ravena Gildharie

The Guyana government is currently exploring possibilities for significant upgrade of the country’s main port-of-entry, the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA) at Timehri. Although there has not been any official evaluation of the planned developments as yet, industry sources estimate the cost of extension at between US$50 million and US$100 million, depending on the exact scope of works.

The upgrade will include expansion of the existing runway to approximately 10,000 feet to accommodate larger aircraft landing, and the extension or possible construction of a new terminal building. This would be necessary to accommodate the additional traffic expected, and would include parking positions for the airplanes and boarding bridges for passengers. These, are facilities similar to those currently established at the Piarco International Airport in Trinidad.

With such massive projected investments, the government’s intention is to make Guyana a hub for international traffic, whereby CJIA could accommodate larger aircraft landing and larger volumes of traffic and passenger movements. At present, Piarco is one of the Caribbean region’s main hubs for international traffic.

In this year’s national budget, the state earmarked the sum of Gy$178 million to start preparatory work on designing an extension to the CJIA airstrip by 3,500 feet to accommodate the Boeing 747-400 aircraft. The sum also covers designs for expansion of the arrival and departure lounges with attendant air bridges, according to Finance Minister Dr Ashni Singh. The Boeing 747-400 aircraft are not only larger but also heavier and therefore require longer runways. With seating for a maximum of 624 people, the 747-400 can fly non-stop for 7,670 nautical miles or 14,200 kilometres, depending on the model.

At present, the CJIA runway is about 7,500 feet, and it usually accommodates landing of the Boeing 767, which fetches between 181 and 375 passengers. A longer runway to accommodate such larger flights would immediately require redesigning of the terminal building to effectively process the increased number of passengers and cargo.

This newspaper understands that, already, some preliminary works have been started at the airport to assess the associated costs and engineering designs that may be necessary for the upgrade. However, a more comprehensive study of the project is expected this year. This type of evaluation would look into location for extending the runway, soils tests and analysis, and estimated costs.

With regard to extension of the terminal, the assessment may have to look at not only enlarging the building, but location of concessions and food courts, as well as access roadways for arrivals and departures. Such comprehensive studies may take no less than three months to be undertaken, allowing the Guyanese administration to make comprehensive decisions on the airport’s development. When contacted, Chief Executive Officer of the Cheddi Jagan International Airport Corporation (CJIAC), Ramesh Ghir, confirmed that works are in the pipeline for the upgrade and expansion of the airport.

In the meantime, the government is spending over Gy$700 million to upgrade navigational aid and communication equipment at the CJIA Control Tower, in keeping with efforts to modernise the facilities at Timehri. currently being installed.