Montserrat’s 18-year-old airport is “not conducive to economic growth” and needs to be either expanded or replaced, according to Premier Joseph E Farrell.
Speaking on ZJB Radio on 28 March, he said the island cannot be developed around John A Osborne Airport in Gerald’s as it only has a runway capacity for nine-seater aircraft.
Building a new airport may take up to 20 years, the premier said, so the priority has to be extending the current airstrip to allow for up to 19-seater aeroplanes.
“If it can be expanded, then clearly that is a route that we have to take if we’re going to grow Montserrat and grow the economy in any way,” he added.
Referencing the new one-year contract for the V2V Empress, Farrell said: “If we don’t fix the airport problem, we’re going to have to be paying EC$17 million a year for a ferry.”
He did not say if the government has taken any tangible action towards this goal.
Volcanic damage
Montserrat’s international airport, WH Bramble Airport – formerly known as Blackburne Airport – was abandoned in 1997 due to dangerous eruptions of Soufriere Hills volcano.
In 2010, a pyroclastic flow completely buried the facility based in the eastern village of Trants.
For several years the only access to Montserrat was by boat or helicopter, until the opening of Gerald’s Airport – later named John A Osborne Airport – in 2005.
The airport has a 1,968-foot runway with a public tunnel underneath and cost about US$18.5 million to build.
According to Farrell, WH Bramble Airport was a much larger airport with capacity for 14-seater aircraft.
“When we lost Blackburne, we actually locked ourselves in to an airport, which at the moment is only facilitating a nine-seater aircraft – that cannot help Montserrat to grow.”
Downgraded
In January, last year, the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office published a call for bidders to carry out an independent aircraft suitability study at John A Osborne Airport.
“The requested assessment is aimed at maximising the potential of John A Osborne Airport, taking account of current and new aviation developments,” the request read.
“In doing so, aviation safety and security remain paramount. The outcome of the assessment will be reviewed by ASSI.”
The plan was for it to determine if aircraft such as the DHC6 Twin Otter, BN2 Islander, Cessna 208 Caravan and Pilatus PC12 could fly to and from the airport.
A final report, which was to be made public, was intended to clearly set out any recommendations with outline costings, however, further details do not appear to have been published since.
The Montserrat Focus has contacted the Governor’s Office for further information and is awaiting a response.
