CPA to build fuel storage tank at Tinian airport

Building a fuel storage facility at the Tinian International Airport will hopefully make good on the “international” name of the airport, allowing it to receive international flights.

The fuel storage facility is among the projects that will be funded out of the $21.9 million that the Commonwealth Ports Authority got from the U.S. Department of Defense in exchange for a 40-year lease of certain airport and seaport facilities for the U.S. Air Force’s divert airfield on Tinian.

CPA board chair Kimberlyn King-Hinds, in an interview last Friday, said the terms of the lease agreement with DoD require that the entire $21.9 million will be spent on Tinian.

King-Hinds

King-Hinds said the board has prioritized improving the Tinian airport’s infrastructure. That includes building a fuel storage facility and upgrading the entire airport to comply with federal standards and needs of the Transportation Security Administration and Customs & Border Protection.

The overall improvements would allow Tinian to accommodate international flights, King-Hinds said.

“Even a fuel storage facility costs a lot of money. People are thinking that $21.9 million is a huge chunk of money but, if you’re thinking of the cost of the construction, it’s expensive,” she said.

The DoD’s total budget for the construction of the divert airfield project itself is $400 million. DoD is building a cargo pad, a maintenance facility, and three fuel storage facilities.

King-Hinds said the $21.9 million is specifically for CPA’s own funding, while the $400 million is the amount DoD going to spend on the area that they leased from CPA.

King-Hinds said one of the biggest challenges with a construction of that magnitude is the need for housing.

“And right now…there is no place to stay,” she pointed out.

King-Hinds said the best route to pursue right now is re-opening the Tinian Dynasty Hotel & Casino, renovating and upgrading it. She said they are trying to get every help they can in terms of figuring out how to do that.

The 40-year lease deal will allow the Air Force to use Tinian as an alternative landing site for its planes in case the Andersen Air Force Base in Guam is inaccessible due to war or calamities.

The divert airfield project is expected to spur economic activities on the island as it will directly benefit the people of the island through infrastructure improvement of the airport and seaport, public roads, and community facilities.