IDA: Tobago airport 'opening' really an election gimmick

THE INNOVATIVE Democratic Alliance (IDA) has accused the government of sending mixed messages in relation to the scheduled opening of the ANR Robinson International Airport, Tobago, on March 15.

During a news conference on March 11 at the IDA’s headquarters, Wilson Road, Scarborough, the party’s PRO, Kaye Trotman, said, “I say mixed messaging because for those of us on the ground, we are hearing that the airport is going to be opened but in reality what we are having is the cutting of the ribbon to handover a terminal.”

She said a building could never be considered an airport.

“An airport is a complex not just from the physical infrastructure but it also involves the kind of certification required to make it a functional airport, guaranteeing efficient connectivity of passengers to locations and destinations.

“That is not what we are having. What we are seeing is a rush to have a ceremony that provides a talking point for a party on the campaign trail. Let me ask you, Tobago, is that really all Tobago is worth?”

Trotman claimed the airport was far from operational.

“On the eve of our Prime Minister leaving office, all that we can get for our airport is a shell – a shell that will likely stay as a white elephant for the next year or so, because then we have to look at how do we ensure we have the kind of certification required to make this airport operational.”

She reiterated the IDA’s concerns about safety and security.

“We note the gaps when we looked at the fact that this airport was sited so close to residential areas, a literal stone’s throw away from homes and businesses with a public roadway running right up on the facility itself so much so that it appears that a part of the roof of the terminal building is hanging over the sidewalk.”

In keeping with international standards for security and safety, Trotman said the airport required a buffer zone to protect nearby properties.

“And if it requires a buffer zone, where is that buffer zone coming from?”

She feared government might seek to acquire additional lands to create the buffer zone.

“Lands opposite the airport, lands to the west of the airport, there is the likelihood that those lands will have to be acquired and whatever structures are housed on those lands would have to be demolished so that we can create the buffer zone required for the airport to get the security and safety certification needed that will make it operational.”

Trotman claimed the airport had not received that security certification.

“So we are left to ask, ‘When will the government talk to us the people and let us know what really is afoot where land acquisition is concerned so as to ensure that our airport can become operational?’”

She said the IDA was also concerned about access to the airport.

“This airport is going to be accessed by the very narrow Store Bay Local Road. No allowance, it seems, was make for appropriate road network accessing to an international airport. Where is the THA in all this?”