New Tinian airport terminal breaks ground

Local government and business officials hailed the construction of a new departure terminal at the Tinian International Airport as a great step towards the economic development of the island and the entire Commonwealth.

“This new Tinian International Airport terminal adds the security features and capacity needed for direct air service to Tinian from any place in the world,” Gov. Juan N. Babauta said during the groundbreaking ceremony at the Tinian airport yesterday.

“It’s milestone in Tinian’s economic development. But it is more: this is a critical event in the overall economic development of the CNMI. Because now and in the future, the development of the Marianas will be about development not just on Saipan, but [also] on Rota and in the Northern Islands, and of course, most significantly, right here on Tinian,” Babauta said.

Tinian Dynasty Hotel and Casino general manager Tom Liu echoed Babauta’s statement.

“It’s a historical day for Tinian. We already have the runway extension done, and now the runway. The mayor said the next project will be the fueling facility. So everything is coming together one at a time,” Liu said.

For his part, Commonwealth Ports Authority executive director Carlos Salas expressed hope that the new facility will help CPA reach a break-even point in its finances within the next five-year period.

CPA has been experiencing deficit in its Tinian operations for the past five years, due to high operational costs and low passenger traffic.

“Hopefully, with the increased airport capacity, we can get some direct flights that will bring in more passengers to Tinian. We need about 100,000 passengers a year to reach break-event point,” Salas said.

CPA issued yesterday an official notice to proceed to contractor AIC Marianas Inc.

The project consists of upgrading the existing terminal building and construction of a new departure building with connecting corridor, provisions for a loading bridge, storm drainage, and upgrading of the sanitary disposal system.

The total floor size is approximately 24,000 square feet, which provides also for concession areas, Transportation Security Administration security requirements, and enough room for immigration processing.

The project has a budget of around $2.6 million, funded by the Tinian Legislative Delegation’s capital improvement project funds plus a $1-million grant from the Federal Aviation Administration.

The construction is expected to take 300 days.