Last Saturday (14) saw a renaming ceremony for the Cayman Brac airport. Formerly called the Gerard-Smith Airport after two past Cayman Islands commissioners, Andrew Gerrard and Ivor Smith, it will now be known as the Charles Kirkconnell International Airport (CKIA).

One of the speakers, Premier, Hon. McKeeva Bush, said the airport was being renamed for “a son of Cayman Brac”, the late Captain Charles Kirkconnell.

Charles Kirkconnell served as an elected representative for Cayman Brac and Little Cayman for three consecutive terms from 1976 to 1988. He also served on the Executive Council.

Also announced at the ceremony was an expansion programme for the airport that will be carried out in two phases.

Phase One will include renovations of the existing facility that will give the airport a larger check-in and ticketing counter, enhanced passenger and baggage screening facilities and outgoing immigration counters. The departure lounge will have additional retail space and a larger restaurant. Cayman Airways will also have additional office space as will the airport’s Security Unit including CCTV security. There will also be a VIP lounge.

Cayman Islands Airports Authority (CIAA) Chief Executive Officer, Jeremy Jackson, said the project, which will double the size of the airport, would not need a loan, and the baggage screening equipment was necessary to enable the airport to facilitate direct flights to the USA. This is a requirement of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

Phase Two which is a planned expansion on the west side of the existing terminal building, will be built at a later date when the CIAA has the funds to do it. This will see enhancements to the arrivals hall (immigration and customs areas) as well as the addition of space for the Public Health and Agriculture departments.

Architects for the project are BDCL Architects, Quantity Surveyors – BCQS, and the Project Manager is Nicholas Johnson.