Marlin: Winair land to
be leased to airport
AIRPORT--To end the impasse over the long land lease renewal for Windward Islands Airways International Winair, Finance Commissioner Roy Marlin suggested Monday that the land be transferred by government to Princess Juliana International Airport Company (PJIAE).
PJIAE will in turn lease the land to Winair, securing a most strategic piece of land needed for the future expansion of the airport, Marlin pointed out during the Island Council meeting. The transfer will be similar to that made with the land that the airport Fire Department occupies.
He said the process will be discussed with Domain Affairs to decide how to end the lease agreement that is pending with Winair, because the government is still reluctant to give a long lease to Winair which is still 100 per cent in the hands of the Central Government.
Local authorities fear that with the ongoing dismantling of the Netherlands Antilles, Winair can be sold by the Central Government without any input from the island. Any sale of the airline will result in the airport and the island losing this very important piece of land, Marlin stated.
Additionally, the commissioner disclosed that people with long leased land where the projected airport runaway will have to be built were given permission to utilise or build on the parcel with the agreement that they will not claim compensation when it is time to reclaim the land for the runaway project.
This new path in the Winair land saga was outlined by the commissioner in response to questions from the National Alliance (NA) members about the status of the long lease request and an announcement from Winair Shareholder’s Representative Minster Roland Duncan that the airline will be heading to court to secure the vital long lease. Dealing with Duncan’s announcement, the commissioner said he was surprised that this came from the shareholder’s representative when, in accordance with good corporate governance, it should have been issued by Managing Director Edwin Hodge.
