International Airport started, will complete soon in Dominica: PM Roosevelt Skerrit

Roseau, Dominica: Prime Minister Dr Roosevelt Skerrit emphasized the benefits of the International Airport Project during the groundbreaking ceremony of the project on Saturday. He stated that the project has now started and will complete soon in Dominica. 

He recalled the time when he became the Prime Minister of Dominica and noted that it is now important for them to write down the history so that current and future can understand. 

He noted, "We appreciate the kind of Dominica that we inherited and what we have done notwithstanding the challenges that we have faced when we came into government, we had not night landing in the country during Christmas time that now gets dark fast by 4:30."

Shedding light on the developmental phase of Dominica, PM Dr Roosevelt Skerrit cited that the country is close to the rest of the world and the international airport will be the long-term solution to the air access challenges. 

He said that when they brought in night landing, they got funding from the European Union as well for the terminal building and then they decided to extend the runway further because American is saying that they need the extra comfort, and they need to groove the runway so that they have less consolation when it’s raining. 

“We were speaking to other airlines who said to us once they extend the runway, we put in the grooving, we will come to Dominica, and this is how we have gotten United Airlines to come to Dominica and so I keep saying to people that when you criticize and look down to our country, you are carrying down Roosevelt Skerrit and this was not about me, this was about the people of Dominica," said the Prime Minister. 

While continuing the details, Prime Minister Skerrit added that in 2016, they started the process to seriously look at about the international airport and they engaged the best American firm to come to do the physical study for them in Dominica, they looked at every part of the country and they told them the best place to put the airport. 

PM Skerrit cited that from 2016, they started creating a fund for an International Airport and then they started saving $5 million every month which has been put into the fund and at the time of hurricane Maria, they had $260 million in the fund for the international airport and so had it not been for Hurricane Maria, they would have had all the money in cash to build International Airport here in Dominica. 

He further highlighted the procedure of land clearing and said that he always wanted to ensure that those were affected by the acquisitions were given proper compensations. "If you go to Joe Burton and you see this kind of big homes and nice homes that these people have built for themselves, it’s amazing and go further there were some people who were not entitled to any compensations from the government and we went into their humanitarian consideration and we built homes for dozens of people."