A new terminal for the Lynden Pindling [Gangster] International Airport and further road works are desperately needed to accommodate the tourism numbers that will be generated by Atlantis’ Phase III and further construction phases. FNM leader Hubert Ingraham said yesterday.
Speaking with members of the media during a tour of the resort’s Phase III yesterday morning, Mr Ingraham said that should his party regain the government, significant infrastructural improvements will immediately take place.
“Massive improvements need to take place at NIA, including the construction of a brand new terminal, at arrivals and departures that take account of new security requirements nowadays,” he said.
The present state of the airport was the subject of major concern that Sol Kerzner, chairman of Kerzner International, brought to the attention of Prime Minister Perry Christie during the opening ceremony of the 65,000 square foot Marina Village on Paradise Island last July.
Mr Kerzner at that time said that as the resort expands, the country and its visitors should be able to enjoy a different kind of airport structure than the one that exists.
Mr Christie, in response, assured Mr Kerzner that government intends to soon offer a first-class airport that will match the class and comfort that Atlantis offers its guests.
The latest information from the Airport Authority indicated that government was in the final stages of negotiating a contract with the Canadian company YVRAS (Vancouver Airport Services), which will be charged with transforming the airport into a high-end 21st century facility.
Mr Ingraham said yesterday that major work needs to be done on New Providence’s road programme, “some of which had been planned before I left office and started.”
“I will start them up as soon as I get back in,” he said. Should his party win the next general election, Mr Ingraham said, he also expects the Bahamas to have an “adequate supply of electricity.”
The FNM would also continue the programmes for increased water supply as well as for sewerage disposal for New Providence and the other islands.
By KARIN HERIG Tribune Staff Reporter
