Opposition Leader Asks Governor to Publicize Aircraft Suitability Study Findings

The Leader of the parliamentary Opposition has written officially to governor, Her Excellency Sarah Tucker, asking her to make public the findings of a study she commissioned on Aircraft Suitability to Operate at John A Osborne Airport.

The letter, a copy of which was made available to ZJB News, was sent to the governor on Tuesday.

In the letter, Honourable Paul Lewis stated that as was clearly outlined, the outcome of this assessment would have been made public. However, over a year later, there has been no public presentation of the outcome from the assessment.

The letter outlined background information which stated that on January 18th, 2023, the governor’s Office made public a request for an independent assessment on the viability of operating various types of aircraft at Montserrat’s John A. Osborne Airport.

The request for bids, the letter said, was published under the caption – “Study on Aircraft Suitability to Operate at John A. Osborne Airport, Montserrat.”

It added that the requested assessment, according to the publication, was “aimed at maximizing the potential of John A. Osborne airport, taking account of current and new aviation developments. And that in doing so, aviation safety and security remain paramount.

According to Mr. Lewis’ letter, the outcome of the assessment would be reviewed by ASSI.”

Mr. Lewis notes further that on May 29th, 2024, a release was made stating that “The Office of the Governor, representing the Access Division (Office of the Premier) and in accordance with the Public Finance (Management and Accountability) (Procurement) Regulations 2019, issued a notice for Early Market Engagement (EME) to explore opportunities for the Provision of Air Transportation Services to and from Montserrat.

He says that this EME outlined that its aim is to “gather information to assist the Airport Management and Access Division of the Government of Montserrat (GOM) in understanding the existing capabilities and limitations of the market with the objective being to “gauge interest among regional airlines that might consider providing scheduled air services to and from Montserrat.”

The opposition leader is calling on the Governor’s Office to clarify for the public, the link between the initial request made in January 2023 for an independent assessment on the viability of operating various types of aircraft from the John A Osborne Airport, and this new request for an Early Market Engagement of the same.

Mr. Lewis is also seeking clarification as to whether the initial, yet unpublished report from 2023, served to inform the decision to move forward with the present EME.

The opposition leader is requesting, on record, that the final report from the January 2023 assessment on such a highly debated subject of great national interest be made public, as promised, to the people of Montserrat.

Meantime, on the Opposition’s most recent “Eyes on the country” radio Programme, Mr. Lewis also called for the Access Committee which was chaired by Parliamentary Secretary, Hon Veronica Dorsette-Hector, with Honourable Donaldson Romeo as a member, to present its findings and recommendations to Parliament .

Mr. Lewis has emphasized that after using government resources to facilitate such a long inquiry, the least that should be done is to present to Parliament the report with findings and recommendations.