Vanuatu Prime Minister Charlot Salwai and the President of China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation Zhao Dian Long officiated at the groundbreaking ceremony to mark the commencement of the Bauerfield airport rehabilitation.
The Lot 1 works of the World Bank-funded Vanuatu Aviation Investment Project (VAIP) begins immediately, with the contractors handed possession of site officially last week on October 24.
The long-awaited ceremony marks the most important milestone in what has been described time and again as the most important project for the country with Bauerfield being the main gateway for visitors into the country.
Prime Minister Salwai reiterated his call to all government departments and line agencies to work together and ensure the project is given top priority so that it could be completed on time so that it can continue to serve the country into the next foreseeable future.
“We made a promise to rebuild the runway in order to re-instil the confidence lost during the events of early 2016 that resulted in the cancellation of flights to Bauerfield. This cannot be allowed to happen again,” said the Prime Minister.
“I know it took sometimes for the contractors to establish themselves and get the mobilization going because we have our legislations that the contractors have to work within, as well as meet strict World Bank guidelines. But these must not stop us from progressing the works. We cannot afford further delays,” he said.
Minister for Infrastructure Jotham Napat also spoke, outlining plans by the government to upgrade all three international airport infrastructures, and for Bauerfield in particular to cater for wide-bodied aircrafts.
A statement said President of CCECC Mr. Zhao assured that the contractors have a lot of experience handling such projects, including those funded by the World Bank, which has quite stringent procurement guidelines.
The total cost of the project is over Vt7 billion
Similar ceremonies can be expected also this month for Lot 2, concerning Whitegrass and Pekoa airports.
Government Ministers and Officials, a World Bank representative, tourism operators and hoteliers, transport and airline industry representatives attended the groundbreaking ceremony at Bauerfield yesterday.
Photo source Minister Jotham Napat/Facebook