The new redevelopment plan for the Hewanorra International Airport (HIA) is at an “advanced stage”, according to Infrastructure Minister Shawn Edward, who says a contractor has now been selected to lead the project.
St. Lucia Times spoke with Edward outside Parliament on Tuesday. He gave an update on the airport’s new air traffic control tower and said construction is almost finished.
“The control tower at HIA is at a very, very advanced stage. About 95% complete,” the minister said.
This is a big step forward since April, when Prime Minister Philip J. Pierre said in his Budget Address that the control tower was 52% complete.
Edward explained that the tower project has two main parts: building the facility and installing the technology needed to operate it.
“The civil works, or the construction works, should I say, were done by NH, a company out of Trinidad. And they’re working very closely with a Canadian company that will provide the software that you need in an air traffic control tower,” he said.
If everything goes as planned, Edward expects the tower to be ready in early 2027.
“Hopefully, come January, February of next year, we should see a fully functional air traffic control tower at the Hewanorra International Airport.”
Regarding the wider HIA redevelopment, Edward said the Saint Lucia Air and Sea Ports Authority (SLASPA) has completed its bidding process and chosen a contractor. However, no agreement has been signed yet, so he could not share the name.
Edward stressed that SLASPA selected the contractor through its own rigorous procurement process, not by Cabinet or Prime Minister Pierre.
The HIA redevelopment has been years in the making. Work on a new terminal began under the former United Workers Party administration before the project was paused following the change in government in 2021 to allow for a review of the project’s scope.
Edward said he wants to make sure HIA does not become another major public project with long delays.
“Only this morning, I was saying to my staff that we have to ensure that the HIA redevelopment project does not become another St Jude Hospital in terms of the gestation period,” he said.
The minister said the Government intends to ensure that “before the next general election, we will have a refurbished and brand new Hewanorra International Airport”.
HIA is set to receive EC$121 million from the World Bank-funded Caribbean Air Transport Connectivity Project (CATCOP). Edward said the funding will help repair the runway, upgrade navigation equipment and improve facilities for firefighters at the airport.
