North Eleuthera airport to get $400,000 temporary terminal

Director of Aviation Algernon Cargill explained yesterday that in the next few weeks, Eleuthera’s busiest airport will begin to erect a $400,000 temporary building that will allow it to expand the amount of people the existing terminal can accommodate, as the island’s tourism continues to increase.

Cargill revealed the details on the temporary building at North Eleuthera Airport during the Eleuthera Business Outlook (EBO) yesterday, adding that the government could break ground on the development of the new airport in “the next few months”.

According to Cargill, the temporary building will provide a safe environment for about 50 passengers waiting to board their flights. 

“We know that the airport facilities at North Eleuthera can no longer meet the demand,” Cargill said.

“Our plan is to replace the terminal, the apron, the taxiway and the support facilities in order that we can unlock the commercial potential in North Eleuthera.

“So we have a heavily 

utilized airport facility that is essentially inadequate and needs to be developed.”

Cargill lamented that the existing North Eleuthera Airport is “unattractive” and does not represent the quality of tourism that mainland Eleuthera and its surrounding islands have developed. Therefore, the government will use the temporary building as a stopgap measure until the new terminal is complete.

“Currently checked in passengers must wait on the outside,” said Cargill. “We’re going to erect a modular trailer which will be outfitted like a new departure hall for passengers departing North Eleuthera.”

Cargill said the temporary structure will take ten weeks to construct and will be a 1,400-square-foot, air-conditioned space.

Minister of Tourism and Aviation Dionisio D’Aguilar, who was the keynote speaker at the EBO, said the temporary facility will be designed so that it can be relocated to any airport in the country that is under construction.

“It will be hurricane rated and affordable and will be approved imminently for development,” D’Aguilar said.

Cargill explained that 154,000 passengers came through North Eleuthera Airport in 2019, outlining the importance of improving the airport’s facilities.

“We continue to see phenomenal growth on this island,” he said.

The government is taking land to build the airport through compulsory acquisition. The land belongs to the Harbour Island Commonage, which will be compensated for the land used.

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source https://thenassauguardian.com/north-eleuthera-airport-to-get-400000-temporary-terminal/