Editorial | Boscobel’s flight of fancy

A spanking new $48-million police station was handed over, to generous applause, at the Ian Fleming International Airport in Boscobel, St Mary, this week. The facility, built by the Airports Authority of Jamaica (AAJ), replaces a decaying container ‘office’ which was used by members of the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) to fulfil their duties at the airport and in the community.

Amid the applause, this new investment has revived concerns about the economic viability of the airport named after the man who created the fictional British spy – 007 James Bond. It was upgraded from an aerodrome to an international airport in 2011, at a cost of some $300 million.

At the time there were many doubters who were not convinced of the commercial viability of the project. Practical persons were saying the investment could only be justified if there was a clear business plan supported by positive cost-benefit analysis and the explicit commitment of airlines.

In practical terms, the best reason for upgrading a terminal is that it has outgrown the space needed to handle passenger traffic and airlines. Another good reason is if airlines give their commitment that they will use the terminal. As an aerodrome serving the domestic market, Ian Fleming was not operating at capacity.

On the face of it, a new international airport should somehow benefit locals by offering options to make connections from Boscobel, instead of having to travel many miles to Kingston or Montego Bay.

NUMBERS NOT ENCOURAGING

Prophecies of a vibrant, bustling third international airport handling private jets and small aircraft shuttling some 20,000 passengers annually have not materialised. Indeed, the numbers were dismally low even after a local airline launched its domestic service from that airport. Pre-COVID-19 numbers were not encouraging, although officials hinted that fruitful discussions with commercial interests in Mexico and elsewhere were ongoing.

In the face of changing global realities brought on by COVID-19, it is hard to see any of this happening in the near future, which means the airport will continue to be a drag on the AAJ’s budget with the continuing trend of earnings falling way below operational expenses.

Someone has to pay for that airport. More than half the airport revenues are said to come from passenger fees which are included in the price of the airline ticket. With no airlines and no passengers, it will fall squarely on the shoulder of the Government to absorb these costs.

Let’s be clear, this newspaper fully supports the Government’s Rebuild Overhaul and Construct (ROC) strategy, which targets police stations, many of which are in awful shape. Indeed, we are encouraged to see the efforts being made to make the working environment of the men and women in uniform much more pleasant. But we believe investment should be made where it has the greatest impact and benefits more people.

But, at the end of the day, we have an underutilised airport on our hands. As the world cautiously reopens after COVID-19, we expect to see major adjustments to air-travel models. Good transport links, including aviation connectivity, contribute to national development. Therefore, Mr Montague and his team will need to devise an aggressive marketing campaign to see how they can transform Ian Fleming International Airport from the flight of fancy which it seems to be in currently.