hkskyline
May 25th, 2005, 08:36 PM
Trial flights begin at new Montserrat airport, eight years after volcanic eruption
25 May 2005
OLVESTON, Montserrat (AP) - Trial flights began at Montserrat's new airport, eight years after the volcanic eruption that severely damaged the old one in the British Caribbean territory, an official said.
A WinAir Twin Otter aircraft made five successful landing and taking off maneuvers Tuesday on the 600-meter (1,970-foot) landing strip at Gerald's Airport in northern Montserrat, airport project manager Claude Hogan said.
The first commercial flights should begin July 11. WinAir, a Netherlands government owned airline based in the Dutch territory of St. Maarten, will have exclusive commercial landing rights for two years, but the airport will be open to all charters and other services, Hogan said.
Work on the airport began in September 2003. It was stalled in July, when heavy rains unleashed landslides that damaged part of the runway, but resumed two months later. Heavy rains again delayed plans to open the airport to commercial flights in March.
The European Union, Britain and Montserrat funded the approximately EC$50 million (US$18.7 million, euro14.9 million) project.
Gerald's Airport replaces the old HW Bramble airport on the island's south side, home of the Soufriere Hills volcano that sprang to life in 1995.
Eruptions eventually led more than half the population to move away, mostly to Britain. A 1997 eruption killed 19 people and buried the then capital, Plymouth.
The mountain range that includes Soufriere separates the old airport from the devastated capital. Travelers must now arrive in Montserrat, an island of 4,500 residents, by ferry or helicopter.
25 May 2005
OLVESTON, Montserrat (AP) - Trial flights began at Montserrat's new airport, eight years after the volcanic eruption that severely damaged the old one in the British Caribbean territory, an official said.
A WinAir Twin Otter aircraft made five successful landing and taking off maneuvers Tuesday on the 600-meter (1,970-foot) landing strip at Gerald's Airport in northern Montserrat, airport project manager Claude Hogan said.
The first commercial flights should begin July 11. WinAir, a Netherlands government owned airline based in the Dutch territory of St. Maarten, will have exclusive commercial landing rights for two years, but the airport will be open to all charters and other services, Hogan said.
Work on the airport began in September 2003. It was stalled in July, when heavy rains unleashed landslides that damaged part of the runway, but resumed two months later. Heavy rains again delayed plans to open the airport to commercial flights in March.
The European Union, Britain and Montserrat funded the approximately EC$50 million (US$18.7 million, euro14.9 million) project.
Gerald's Airport replaces the old HW Bramble airport on the island's south side, home of the Soufriere Hills volcano that sprang to life in 1995.
Eruptions eventually led more than half the population to move away, mostly to Britain. A 1997 eruption killed 19 people and buried the then capital, Plymouth.
The mountain range that includes Soufriere separates the old airport from the devastated capital. Travelers must now arrive in Montserrat, an island of 4,500 residents, by ferry or helicopter.