- NEWSDAY.CO.TT - A la Une - 03/Sep 07:18

THA Minority Leader seeks Tobago airport update

When will the new terminal of the ANR Robinson International Airport be completed? This is the question being asked by (THA) Minority Leader Kelvon Morris as he addressed members of the media during a press conference on September 2 at his Scarborough office. In March 2025, the former PNM government hosted the commemoration of the practical completion of the terminal. At the event, then finance minister Colm Imbert said “Barring unforeseen circumstances, the first plane with passengers can utilise this new terminal building in July 2025. We will all work together to make that happen.” The project, managed by NIDCO, began on July 18, 2020 was expected to be completed in July 2022, at an original contract sum of US$128,663,741. However, to date, the new terminal remains closed. Morris said the very curious part of the arrangement was that since the last general election to the time of his media conference, no government minister nor THA official could indicate when the airport would be fully functional. “You have the ministers saying they don’t know. Then you have the chief secretary, all of a sudden, he turn dumb dog in Jerusalem. He had the most mouth for Dr Rowley and the PNM everyday. "And you can imagine, let us be fair, had this been the PNM that had still been in office had not met the deadline of July 2023, you could imagine our chief secretary and the words he would have had for that central government.” Morris said he could imagine how much noise Chief Secretary Farley Augustine would have been making for government to open the airport "and open it now" had it been the PNM in power. “I’m simply asking that chief secretary (Augustine): where is that energy? How come you’re not moved? "You’re not interested in ensuring that that very important piece of our puzzle towards building back our vibrant tourism is available for use? "You don’t want that airport open so that you can leverage it to all the airlines to let them know that you have a safe landing, you have areas fo VIP etc, and your guests can have comfort in travelling and we need that now?” Morris said since Augustine had lost his voice, he was issuing those questions directly to the current central government. “You asked for the opportunity to govern, you asked for the opportunity to govern this country. The people responded and gave you the opportunity to run this country, and part of running this country is ensuring that that airport is opened.” Morris added: "We want a date and time. I am urging the government, as your minority leader, to ensure they give this airport the priority that it requires so that it can be opened by October.” In August, government said there were still some “issues” to be dealt with before the terminal could be handed over. In an e-mail response to Newsday on August 15, the Ministry of Works and Infrastructure said the handover process for the ANR Robinson International Airport terminal is “actively progressing.” It said the National Infrastructure Development Company Ltd (Nidco), which managed the project, and the Airports Authority of Trinidad and Tobago (AATT) were continuing joint walk-throughs and reviews with the contractor, “focusing on promptly addressing minor issues identified during these inspections.” The ministry said follow-up inspections were scheduled “to verify corrective actions taken by the contractor and agreed acceptance.” The main contractor was China Railway Construction Caribbean Company Ltd. The post THA Minority Leader seeks Tobago airport update appeared first on Trinidad and Tobago Newsday.