Yesterday, 24th of February, members of the Regional Government participated in a meeting convened by the Assistant Secretary of State and Communications to discuss the need for new equipment to be purchased and installed to improve operating conditions at Madeira’s International Airport – Cristiano Ronaldo.
During the meeting, the Regional Secretary for Tourism and Culture, Eduardo Jesus, made it clear that “there is no need to discuss what has already been debated, nor is it necessary to go start again at the beginning.” Backing up his statement, he said that a working group had already been formed to study operational aspects of Madeira’s airport during the period 2017 -2019 and that their recommendations had included the acquisition of essential equipment, including Visual and Navigational Aids (NAVAIDS), whose primary function is to assist pilots during landing, take-off and while taxiing.
The official said that the “position of the Regional Government is very clear and was objectively expressed at the meeting. It is now essential to validate the conclusions and recommendations produced by the working group in 2019, in particular, agreement is necessary concerning which version of the equipment should be installed and its location in line with the 2019 report findings. Two years on there is no need to repeat this exercise, but what is needed is agreement on the specifications of the NAVAID equipment in preparation for the launch of the tender process.”
Eduardo Jesus insisted that for the Autonomous Region of Madeira, it is essential that this investment be promoted, and that the equipment be acquired, installed, and commissioned in order improve operating conditions at the airport as soon as possible. He stresses that “the inoperability removes our competitiveness as a tourist destination and seriously harms Madeira, especially at a time when we are relaunching Madeira as a holiday destination”.
He went on to say that “we cannot have and live with this handicap permanently, especially as it impacts on our competitiveness, causes problems for the operators with whom we work and dissatisfaction for visitors.”
The debate continues.
Samantha Gannon
info at madeira-weekly.com
