Havana airport to get $10.2 million upgrade

Posted on Tuesday, 07.23.13

Havana airport to get $10.2 million upgrade
BY PETER ORSI
ASSOCIATED PRESS

HAVANA -- Cuba's main international terminal is getting a $10.2 million
overhaul to improve operations at the overcrowded facility, according to
state-run media.

The Havana Reporter, an English-language semi-weekly newspaper that hit
kiosks Tuesday, said the Terminal 3 upgrade will include eight
footbridges for boarding and the expansion of a parking area outside the
terminal.

Government website Cubadebate added that the project also calls for new
walkways, additional check-in counters, lighting and air conditioning
improvements and systems to conserve water and electricity.

Airport director Juan Carlos Quintana told Cubadebate that the eastern
part of the terminal will be upgraded to accommodate larger airplanes,
and nearly 190,000 square feet (17,500 square meters) of new roofing has
already been installed.

Terminal 3 is the most modern of the Jose Marti International Airport's
terminals. It was built with Canadian assistance at a cost of $93
million, and inaugurated in 1998 in a ceremony involving Fidel Castro
and Canada's then-premier, Jean Chretien.

However it has not kept up with increasing traffic since then, and at
times seems to be straining at the seams with long waits at check-in,
immigration, security and baggage claim.

Cubadebate said the terminal has as many as 1,800 to 2,000 travelers
passing through at times, a number that can rise to 2,500 if people
accompanying passengers to the airport are factored in.

"The current design only allows for the terminal to accommodate 1,400
passengers, a number lower than the real volume that exists in these
moments, which hurts the quality of service," the website said.

Overall, 2.5 million travelers pass through Terminal 3 each year,
according to Cubadebate.

The terminal handles most international traffic with the exception of
charter flights to and from the United States, which go through Terminal 2.

The number of travelers to the island has increased steadily since the
1990s, when in the midst of a severe economic crisis following the
breakup of the Soviet Union, Castro's Communist-run government turned to
tourism for badly needed hard currency.

Some 2.7 million tourists visited the island in 2011, according to the
most recent government figure available, up from 2.1 million in 2007.
Authorities predict it will hit 3 million this year.

Canada sends more travelers to Cuba than any other country, followed by
England, Italy and Spain.

Repairs on the terminal began earlier in July and are expected to last
six months, during which time access will be restricted to passengers
only, Cubadebate said.

Peter Orsi on Twitter: www.twitter.com/Peter-Orsi

Source: "HAVANA: Havana airport to get $10.2 million upgrade - Business
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