STATEMENT BY THE GOVERNOR’S OFFICE ABOUT SECURITY AT OWEN ROBERTS INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT

STATEMENT BY THE GOVERNOR’S OFFICE IN RESPONSE TO INACCURATE MEDIA REPORTS ABOUT SECURITY AT OWEN ROBERTS INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT

Recent articles and comments to the media about the new parking arrangements at the airport give a misleading and inaccurate picture.

Security at airports in Overseas Territories is a Governor/UK Constitutional responsibility. The UK Regulator for OT airports is ASSI, which works closely with Governors’ offices.

The minimum standards that all States must apply in order to keep passenger terminals safe are set by the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO). The options available include keeping all privately owned vehicles at least 30 metres away from the terminal building unless other protective measures have been applied. In the Overseas Territory airports, this 30 metre standard has only been applied to the brand-new terminal buildings in Bermuda and St Helena.

The security risks in Cayman are low. But they are not zero. It has long been accepted that the cost of the 30 metre standard to existing terminal buildings in Cayman would be disproportionate. All other Overseas Territory airports have been asked to propose sensible improvements based on their existing road layouts and any other protective measures that are already in place. In the case of Owen Roberts, the airport at first proposed a simple, very low cost measure of moving privately owned vehicles to the outer road lane that was used by taxis and buses and moving taxis and buses nearer to the terminal. This was a perfectly sensible, low cost improvement that involved little inconvenience and was accepted by both the Governor and the UK regulator.

However, the Airport had a separate need to fix the long-standing issue of traffic congestion at busy times and it was this that led to a more complex and expensive solution being developed. The Governor and the UK are entirely comfortable with kerbside drop off, provided minimal security enhancements can be agreed. It is incorrect to say the UK sought to impose the current solution on the airport. The Governor and the UK regulator remain happy with the simple, low cost solution that was originally proposed and remain very willing to work with the airport in assessing any proposals that provide a sensible improvement in security, at least cost, whilst also fixing the long-standing traffic congestion problem. The Governor is fully satisfied that the UK approach throughout has been constructive and supportive.