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Construction on the way for Star Marianas facility
Construction appears to be ongoing for a light commuter facility at the Guam airport for Star Marianas Air’s use, according to the inter-island carrier’s president Shaun Christian.
The Guam International Airport Authority issued a notice to proceed in April for contractors to renovate this facility, also known as the “Yellow Cargo Bay.”
This after plans for an interim facility were dropped as GIAA found them not cost-effective.
Christian said yesterday that he hasn’t received any correspondence from GIAA since May 11 when they confirmed receipt of his email identifying which of the planned offices Star Marianas preferred.
“I’ve heard from our pilots flying cargo into Guam that construction is going on and that it appears as though progress is being made for compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act ingress and egress issues, but haven’t seen any pictures to confirm,” he told Saipan Tribune.
He said he does not yet have any specific information on a planned Customs processing area and if/when Guam Customs intends to staff the location.
Right now, Star Marinas only flies cargo into Guam. They have been trying to get self-access to the Guam airport for the past couple of years. In March, Star Marianas suspended all passenger charters to Guam due to “continued lack of a facility” to operate and self-handle their aircraft, despite talks and plans between them and Guam airport during the previous months.
They also suspended charter flights due to new ground-handling terms introduced by GIAA that Christian said would have driven the cost of escorting passengers from their plane to “nearly double” from the $40 per passenger they were paying out.
