Dominica International Airport

Dominica International Airport is all set to host the official groundbreaking ceremony for the highly anticipated International Airport which is scheduled for November 9, 2024. The development was announced by Prime Minister Dr Roosevelt Skerrit during a recent press conference held earlier this week.

He also visited the Dominica International Airport Project site ahead of the official groundbreaking ceremony scheduled for Saturday, November 9.

Along with members of the Ministerial Sub Committee, he met with representatives from Montreal Management Consultants (MMC) and the contractors, China Railway No 5. He said that he was pleased with the progress made so far.

The Prime Minister also invited everyone to join for this significant national event on November 9. “Let’s all take pride in this transformative project, which holds the potential to unlock numerous opportunities for economic growth,” noted Dr Skerrit.

PM Skerrit announces the official groundbreaking of the Dominica International Airport

While announcing the development earlier this week, he emphasised the importance of this significant infrastructure development and said that people need to understand that even if the international airport is located in Wesley, it is going to impact the people in a positive who are even living in Colihaut. This is because more people will be coming to the island nation, injecting more into the economy.

“More people who are going to come into is more people you will see coming to call you coming to spend the US coming to spend the Euro coming to spend the pounds because you create economic activity when money comes from outside and mix with what you have inside and more people come in the more spend they will have farmers will sell More Produce because there’ll be more people to feed fishermen will sell more fish because there’s more fish to consume,” outlined the PM.

He added that this is why everyone needs to start positioning themselves at a point that they are appreciating the fact that the international airport is going to help propel Dominica to a much higher level because just with the extension of the runway at the Douglas Charles Airport, the island has seen the introduction of direct flights from Miami.

According to him, the challenge has always been air access, and with the international airport, that challenge will be eliminated.

In addition to this, another point which was discussed by the Prime Minister was related to the delaying of the airport’s groundbreaking ceremony. He explained the very reason behind this and said that Dominicans need to see that the construction is actually happening. He said that this is because every other political party who was here before him promised the locals about this development but it never became a reality.

“So, you will always have scepticism, so I wanted the airport to start, and I wanted to see the alignment of the runway before we broke ground, and by the grace of God, we are now seeing the alignment of the runway, and we’re ready to break down in,” outlined the Dominican leader.

He further reiterated his government’s commitment to fulfilling their promises and do better for the country so that the island nation can thrive and move forward on its way towards becoming the world’s first climate resilient country by the year 2030.

Work is Already Progressing at The Dominica International Airport site

Notably, the work on the site of the international airport is already underway with the progress being made gradually.

The proposed International Airport is being built at Wesley. According to MMCE Ltd – The Airport is set to be ambitiously completed by the end of next year and the Dominica International Airport will be the game changer for the “nature island” – opening up a world of opportunities for socio-economic growth.

Furthermore, the CEO of the International Airport Development Company last month noted that significant strides have been made in the earthworks phase of Dominica’s new international airport.

He described Dominica as ‘No Flat Land’ and highlighted the extensive earthworks needed to create a stable platform for the runway, buildings as well as access roads. The runway, which will be around 2.85 km long is part of the larger 3 km development strip.

Not only this, but Economy Minister Fidel Grant noted that the island needs this airport to achieve economic diversification. The airport will be constructing new opportunities for this country and its citizens along with securing the future of the children, he said.

The project is financed under the Citizenship by Investment Programme and will be constructed in five phases in Wesley. It is reported that the investment for the project is valued at US$370 million.

Notably, the Douglas Charles and the Canefield airports are the only two small airports in Domonica from where regular flights leave for Puerto Rico, Dominica and Antigua. With the completion of this airport, the island nation is anticipated to receive inbound international flights from Europe and the United States.

Also, the MMCE Chief Executive Anthony Haiden said that the Dominica International Airport project is the biggest contracted project not only in the island’s history but also in the history of the entire Eastern Caribbean region.

The project will also give a major boost to the tourism sector of the country, bringing hundreds and thousands of passengers from across the globe who will eventually inject back into the economy by purchasing local products, living in Dominican hotels, eating local cuisine and drinks while also exploring the island nation and engaging in pre booked tours.

This will also give huge business to local taxi drivers and vendors who will be engaging with the tourists on the island.

The government and the citizens of Dominica are now counting on this project to be completed soon so that they can gain the various benefits that will come along with it.

The project will also provide permanent employment opportunities to a number of Dominicans who will work at reception and inside the site, while the local vendors will also benefit as they can sell their products near the airport site to the number of tourists arriving to the Commonwealth of Dominica.