Falklands : CLLR SUMMERS SPEAKS ABOUT THE NEW AIRBRIDGE CONTRACT
Submitted by Falkland Islands News Network (Juanita Brock) 29.06.2008 (Article Archived on 13.07.2008)
FIRS's Stacey Bragger quizzes Cllr Summers about the new airbridge contract.
CLLR SUMMERS SPEAKS ABOUT THE NEW AIRBRIDGE CONTRACT
A Report for FIRS by Stacey Bragger 23/06/08
SB: What’s the current status on the Air-bridge Discussions?
MS: The position on the Air-bridge discussions is that we have been through this long and tortuous process, as you know, of trying to re-negotiate the current position statement – that is the agreement between the Foreign Office and the Ministry of Defence on how the air-bridge is to be used by civilians. We’ve reached a number of preliminary conclusions on that but the really key issue is, at the moment, that the tender for the operating contract for the air-bridge is out. We understand there have been a number of submissions but we don’t know yet what the content of those submissions are. And, the key date for us is in July, when we get to find out from the Ministry of Defence what’s been offered and what they think they are going to accept because that obviously affects both the price and the schedule of the air-bridge. So, really, until July we are not in a position to reach any firm conclusions.
SB: Do the Falklands have much of a say so far in the tender process?
MS: We were asked early on in the tender process to put forward things that we would like to see in it. We have had no opportunity to take part in any of the tender negotiations, which is kind of disappointing since we were advised – promised – in the discussions that we were having that we would be so involved but we weren’t, certainly, at the last round of meetings. And, we will see if we can’t get somebody at the next and final rounds of meetings to make sure that our interests are taken into account.
SB: I know you are interested that the Falklands interests will be taken into account and that there won’t be - for instance, a dramatic rise in prices?
MS: You know me, Stacey, I am an eternal optimist but we will be pushing very hard to make sure that the new air-bridge does what it says in the JPS, which is to serve the economic and development needs of the Falklands and, indeed, Ascension and St Helena as well as its primary purpose of providing the air-bridge to the MOD. We will be as aggressive as we need to be on that to make sure that this absolutely key lifeline of ours is maintained, open and of sufficient quality and availability of space to enable us to carry on developing.
|
