Brunei Aims To Be Air Hub Of BIMP-EAGA Region
By Jason Thomas

Bandar Seri Begawan - Brunei Darussalam will have a modernised regional air hub within five to seven years, according to the Department of Civil Aviation (DCA) which will soon upgrade facilities at Brunei International Airport.

The department envisions the airport to serve as an'airbase for the BIMP-EAGA- (Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines - East Asian Growth Area) region.

"This is in line with the DCA's vision to develop the Brunei International Airport as the air hub for the BIMP-EAGA (Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines - East Asian Growth Area) region, with the theme of Interconnectivity 'to International Air Transportation System," said Lim Kee Ann, an aeronautical telecommunications engineer with DCA.

After the upgrade, the Brunei International Airport would be able to provide the highest level of safety, security and efficiency for the aviation system, with competitive services for the maximum benefits of the avi-, ation community, Lim said.

The upgrade, he said, was in line with the DCA's strategy under the National Development Plan to promote the airport as a leading regional air hub, airport city and cargo village.

He said that projects for the airport's upgrading would be accomplished in accordance with its short-term, medium-term and long-term phases.

The masterplan of the projects - the upgrade of ground facilities and airport lighting systems, and the computerisation of airport services and air navigation services-will be discussed in a briefing session to be organised by the DCA at the Penghayatan Hall of the Civil Service Institute in Kampung Rimba at 10pm on Tuesday.

The masterplan will also include a study on the runway and taxiway sub-soil and the Western Parallel taxiway lighting system.

Lim said the briefing on Tuesday would also discuss fire training mock-up, hangar fire protection and detection system, and the e-airport services system.

"The upgrading of the communication navigation surveillance and the air traffic management facilities is expected to be completed within in the next five to seven years," he said, adding that the establishment of the Western Parallel taxiway lighting system, fire training mock-up, hangar fire protection and detection system and e-airport system would be completed in three years.

All these relate to improving airport safety, which DCA feels is paramount to developing the airport as the hub for the BIMP-EAGA region.

Consultants will soon prepare tenders for the projects and then select the qualified contractors.

Lim said the airport was last overhauled 10 years ago, and "it is about time we are doing this td catch up with developments in technology and to cope with increasing traffic".

The airport served around 1.3 million travellers last year. The projects are in line with the National Development Plan for economic diversification.  -- Courtesy of The Brunei Times

Click Here To Have Your Say On This Story

Brudirect.com News

Brunei's Fastest Growing Website with