Les Cayes: airport authority plans to lengthen Antoine Simon airport runway

Haiti's National Airport Authority (AAN) wants to modernise Antoine Simon International Airport in Les Cayes, in the Sud department. Its director general, José Bernard Mathias Schettini, announced several projects on Monday, 19 October: a longer and wider runway, facilities for international travellers and better fuel supply. "We are not going to neglect the Les Cayes airport," he said, according to Le Nouvelliste.

The runway currently measures 1,873 metres long and 25 metres wide. In theory it could take 50-seat aircraft, but operating constraints limit flights to about 30 passengers for now. The AAN plans to extend it to 1,984 metres long and 35 metres wide, which, by its projections, would allow aircraft carrying more than a hundred passengers, subject to technical and regulatory requirements.

Areas for international travellers are also planned, notably for customs and immigration formalities. On safety, two firefighting trucks are available on site, and a building for the fire crews was recently built.

The AAN is also working with the fuel company DINASA to improve the fuel supply, which is currently brought in by truck. The permanent installation has been delayed by land issues found during the first topographic surveys; a new study is to revise where the equipment will go.

"We want Antoine Simon airport to gradually have modern facilities that meet international standards, and to offer services comparable to those of Cap-Haïtien International Airport," the director general added. No completion date for the main works has been given.