Dominica's Ambitious Air Travel Makeover: Runway Extension and Safety Upgrades Unveiled at Douglas Charles Airport

A project to extend the runway at the Douglas Charles Airport commenced earlier this month, Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit announced on Monday.

The runway will extend westwards to give aircraft an overall available take-off run of 1936 metres from runway 09 (the mountain end), up from the current 1,756 metres, Prime Minister Skerrit said during his regular press conference.

“The extension will have the added benefit of increasing the declared landing distance available on runway 27 (sea end) by 67 metres to a length of 1,808 metres.

“The runway will also be grooved to increase safety when wet, thereby increasing pilot confidence on landing,” he noted.

Tourism Minister, Hon. Denise Charles and other tourism officials visit site of ongoing works on Douglas Charles Airport Extension

The Prime Minister said the improvements meet the standards of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) as well as the approval of the Eastern Caribbean Civil Aviation Authority (ECCAA).

“As we have said, the upgrades are critical to secure increased direct flights from the United States mainland and other tourism source markets, and for the realization of Dominica’s visitor arrival goal of 500,000 stay-over visitors by 2030,” he said.

The works are expected to be completed within 3 months of the start date.