Members of the business community are calling for an urgent fix to the condition of Labasa Airport’s runway, despite recent upgrades to the terminal.
Labasa Chamber of Commerce member Vishal Narayan said the issue of safety continued to be raised as a pressing concern.
“We don’t want to face a tragedy like what happened with (an) Air India (flight),” Mr Narayan said.
He said while improvements had been made to the terminal facilities, the runway issue remained unresolved.
“This is one of the biggest concerns that hasn’t been openly addressed,” Mr Narayan said.
He added some ATR flights are currently operating at only 50 per cent occupancy, which he believes is directly linked to concerns over the reliability of the runway. In response, Finance Minister Biman Prasad said the Government signed a $400million tourism development project with funding from the World Bank.
He said the 10-year program included major improvements to Savusavu Airport and other infrastructure across Vanua Levu. “Once the terminal is complete, people will see further developments take place,” Prof Prasad said.
While local leaders have welcomed the government’s investment, they continue to press for immediate attention to the runway, citing both safety and economic concerns.