The National Assembly on Friday evening approved $346,500,000 for the Ministry of Public Infrastructure to purchase and install two additional boarding bridges at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA).
Currently, there are two boarding bridges installed at the airport. Subject Minister David Patterson said the requested sum is part of a new contract and not the US$138M contract originally entered into with China Harbour Engineering Company (CHEC). Some sections of the refurbished airport are already in use while the new arrival terminal will be opened next month.
However, Opposition Member Juan Edghill questioned the amount of boarding bridges catered for in the original design. He said as far as he is aware of the number eight but Patterson said the contract did not speak specifically to eight boarding bridges. “I have spoken on this extensively that we would always have four air bridges on completion that is since we took over. The contract had two and I always said four,” Patterson stressed.
“In fact, he said, the CHEC contract makes no provision for boarding bridges (air bridges). Patterson has since committed to laying out to the House the initial and new contracts for the CJIA expansion project.
Guyana Chronicle report.
