The Bottom, Saba – Upon his arrival in Saba on Monday, January 7, Dutch State Secretary of Home Affairs and Kingdom Relations Raymond Knops received an update on the renovation project of the Juancho Yrausquin Airport.

The State Secretary and his delegation were given a tour of the airport terminal. Commissioner Bruce Zagers gave an update on the work that has been done so far. The terminal renovation is nearing completion. The project to upgrade the runway has already been completed.

Knops said he was happy with the progress that has been made so far. He marveled at the results of the new runway after being out of operation for four weeks. “The new runway is a work of resilience for the next 30 to 40 years. I am very proud of what has been done so far and in such a short time. It is amazing to see how fast and how professional the shortest commercial runway in the world was repaved.”

Commissioner Zagers explained that the repaved runway and the renovations to the airport terminal were a huge improvement. As part of the renovation of the runway, the asphalt pavement of the runway was replaced with concrete by contractors Saba Roads and Den Ouden. This part of the project, funded by the Dutch Ministry of Infrastructure and Environment (I&W), started on September 10, 2018 and was completed four weeks later. The renovation of the terminal building phase 1, which includes the renovation of the building, the construction of the arrival hall, the baggage reclaim area, the entrance and the bar, is nearing completion. The Public Entity Saba is in charge of the project management and the work is carried out by contractor Hassell Enterprises Saba. Phase 2 will start after the completion of the construction of the new fire station at the airport.

After touring the terminal building, State Secretary Knops painted one of the pillars inside the building to demonstrate his support for this project. Island Governor Jonathan Johnson and Commissioner Rolando Wilson were also present at the airport to give the State Secretary and his delegation a warm welcome to Saba.