by Emmanuel H. Joseph
Government Information Service
Government and other airport personnel met last week with top LIAT (Leeward Islands Air Transport) officials to discuss the company’s role in providing night landing services to Dominica. The runway extension project of the Melville Hall Airport is expected to be completed in March, 2010, so night landing services can commence on the island.
Acting Chief of LIAT, 1974 Ltd, Brian Challenger, was among the LIAT contingent visiting Dominica on Friday 26th, March, 2010. In an interview with GIS News, Mr. Challenger explained the purpose of the visit to Dominica.
“Basically, the purpose of my visit to Dominica was really to meet with officials involved in the Airport Development Project, specifically to look at the issues and the possibilities for night landing for LIAT services into Melville Hall.
 Acting Chief of LIAT, 1974
Ltd, Brian Challenger
We brought down a team from our flight operations department: Acting Director of Flight Operations and our Chief Technical Officer. They have been meeting with the officials here in Dominica.”
Mr. Challenger described the meeting with Mr. Benoit Bardouille, CEO of the Dominica Sea and Airport Authority as useful; however, there are still some issues to be resolved as it relates to night landing. Among those issues is safety.
“I think that really substantial work has been done. I think credit really has to go to the Government and people of Dominica for the major achievements that have been done to bring us where we are today. As I said earlier, we are still looking at the safety issues. There is still some topographic information and meteorological information that I think is required. As I said, safety is really the critical issue here and we want to ensure, we have to ensure, as a matter of fact, that all the various technical requirements are in place for night landing and that is what we are working towards.”
The LIAT official says his company would like to ensure that all safety logistics are put in place at Melville Hall before LIAT can begin night landing operations in Dominica.
“I think that LIAT is looking forward to the day when we will be able to have night landing into Dominica. At this point in time, we are just aiming to ensure that all the T’s are crossed and all the I’s are dotted and that when the time comes, once the authorities have provided the green light that we will be in a position to go.”
LIAT is confident that when Dominica begins to offer night landing services, this would open new service opportunities for the company.
“I think that there is an interest on our part. It has tremendous potential for us. It means that we will no longer have to schedule flights into Dominica within a certain time frame and even within that time frame it gives us a much bigger window in the evenings, for example. That is certainly in our interest and we are just looking forward to ensuring that all the safety requirements are met. We are working closely with the officials here in Dominica and communication between the two parties is ongoing and that really is the way it has to be done.”
Government is also holding discussions with American Airlines officials regarding their service to Dominica. |
