Tourism Minister Denise Charles-Pemberton captured the significance of a historic milestone in Dominica’s development as she stood on the grounds in Wesley where the island’s first international airport is under development. “You are standing on the ground where the future of Dominica will take flight,” she declared during the groundbreaking ceremony attended by government officials and community members on Saturday.

The ambitious XCD$1-billion project, now 28 percent complete and progressing slightly ahead of schedule, is set to transform Dominica’s connectivity with the world. Operations Director at Montreal Management Consultant Establishment (MMCE) Ltd, Carl Murad, noted that the airport’s completion is expected in 2027, with construction advancing approximately six percent ahead of the projected timeline. The airport will feature a 2,850-meter runway capable of handling both primary and secondary landings, along with a 165,000-square-foot terminal building designed to accommodate over 500 vehicles, a VIP terminal, a fuel facility, and specialized structures like a fire and rescue station, police station, health center, a cargo bay, waste disposal facility, and a water treatment plan.

“The airport will boast state-of-the-art navigation and air traffic control systems, refining the travel in the Caribbean,” he said.

Dominica’s Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit explained why the government broke ground during construction and not at the beginning as is a custom. “I did not want anybody to think that we were kidding with them,” he said, adding “Every single government that has come to being in Dominica has promised the international airport, and it has never happened. Dominicans have treated this as a false alarm … so I wanted us to see it happening.”

By 2023 contractors had begun mobilization, excavation, and backfilling on the site. The airport is a decades-long promise that tracks back to the days of Franklin Baron, the first Chief Minister of the island in 1960. It’s no wonder residents have become despondent to the talk of an international airport.

But Prime Minister Skerrit has promised that this will come to fruition under his administration, having worked effortlessly for years to save towards it. The government, he said, began saving USD$5million each month in 2016 to put into an International Airport Development Fund. However, a significant portion of that money went towards rebuilding efforts following the major hurricane in 2017. “We would have had all the money in cash to build the international airport here in Dominica but [hurricane] Maria came.”

The project has also meant significant personal sacrifices, as several families were relocated to make way for the construction. Skerrit acknowledged these families and announced plans to honor their contributions with a plaque. “It wasn’t easy to ask people to leave their homes,” he admitted.

The hope of Fidel Grant Minister for Public Works, Public Utilities and Digital Economy, and Roland Royer Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries, Blue and Green Economy is that the airport will improve the lives of residents in the surrounding communities.

Grant said the airport will bring opportunities to “their doorsteps for generations to come”. “This international airport will transform our communities from a rural country area to a commercial hub but we must prepare ourselves,” he added.

Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries, Blue and Green Economy Roland Royer spoke to the impact the airport will have on agriculture, describing it as a chance to re-establish Dominica’s agricultural exports through direct international connectivity. “We embrace a new era where the hard work of our farmers will reach beyond our shores nurturing the world with the quality produce that comes from Dominica. This is an opportunity for Dominica to share the fruits of our rich sustainable land,” he stated.

China Railway No.5 Engineering Group Co Ltd., the same company that built the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in Antigua, is the contracted firm that will build Dominica’s airport. Chen Zuolin, Deputy Manager, through his translator, said they have allocated the company’s top resources to ensure timely and quality implementation of the project.