Renovation of Saba’s airport terminal building

The Juancho Yraus­quin Airport terminal build­ing will be renovated starting September 10, a project that coincides with the complete refurbishing of the runway.

The public entity Saba signed a contract for the renovation of the terminal building with Hassell En­terprises NV last week. An important part of the reno­vation works will coincide with the runway renovation between September 10 and October 9, at which time the airport will be closed.

“It was a challenge to make this project possible within the very tight timeframe we had,” said Commissioner of Infrastructure Bruce Za­gers in a press release on Wednesday. “We wanted to make use of the opportunity of the airport being closed in September. By letting the two projects coincide we are able to prevent further interference in airport operations.”

Preparations for the reno­vation of the terminal build­ing start August 1. From Sep­tember 10, when the airport closes, Hassell Enterprises will focus on renovating a large part of the interior of the building, the expansion of the arrivals area and the installation of electricity.

After the opening of the airport on October 9, the contractor will continue with expansion of the terminal building on the East and South sides and the finalisa­tion of the interior. The work is planned in such a way that the impact for passengers is minimised. “Passengers will notice that construction works are taking place. But we will make sure that the airport can operate as usual and all flights can come in and leave as scheduled,” Za­gers assured.

The terminal building lacked maintenance for a number of years and requires additional facilities for pas­sengers. The renovation in­cludes, among other things, a new entrance lounge and a separate bar area, as well as a covered arrivals area to protect incoming passengers from the sun and rain. To comply with international safety standards, a separate area will also be built for scanning checked luggage.

The project, financed through a contribution of the Ministry of Infrastruc­ture and Environment l&M, is scheduled to be finalised in December,

In a later stage, the building will be further upgraded with the construction of a depar­ture hall. This phase can only be executed once the Fire Department has moved into the new fire station, a project that will be carried out in the near future. The new fire sta­tion should be ready by the end of 2019.

The Daily Herald.