The Minister of Communications, Jazmín de la Vega, reported that the delay and possible irregularities in a contract, valued at Q107 million, intended for the maintenance of one end of the runway that connects with private hangars in the La Aurora International Airport.
According to their statements, the million-dollar contract was suspended for seven months, during which the contracted company, Construdán, did not meet expectations and requested a prolonged suspension without sufficiently valid reasons.
“We are here facing the delays of this contract that includes the runway and the asphalt of the airport taxiway“declared the Minister of Communications.
“The company has failed to comply in its entirety. He requested a seven-month suspension for reasons that are not serious“, declared the minister, who presented the complaint during a tour with the media on the affected runway this Friday, February 16, 2024.
The contracted company justified the initial delay of the contract due to “weather conditions in summer.” However, the Minister expressed disbelief at this justification.
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De la Vega also highlighted the lack of consideration towards the Social Solidarity Fund when signing the contract and announced legal actions to address non-compliance and defend the interests of the State.
“From the beginning, the entity that signed the contract was never taken into account, which is the social solidarity fund. The funds are there, they were never taken into account,” he explained while ensuring that they are “reviewing the legal solution that we can carry out in this case, always ensuring the interests of the state.”
The delay with runway maintenance, he said, In addition to having an impact on air operations, it has also generated additional costs.
Impact on operation
Tomás Aldecoa, Deputy Technical Operational Director of Civil Aeronautics, explained the operational and safety implications as a result of the delay in the maintenance of the waiting runway at the airport.
He mentioned that congestion on the stretch has caused delays of up to 20 minutes per air operation.
“We are calculating between 10 to 20 minutes of delay for each operation, which we did not have before,” explained Aldecoa, highlighting that an additional expense was also generated for the airlines due to greater fuel consumption during waiting on the ground.
Operations are affected during the peak air traffic hours between seven in the morning and three in the afternoon, he specified.
“This is a mixed airport, it has military flights, it has general aviation flights, it has an airline, ambulance, schools. […] So, the airport is already congested, and this delays us much more,” Aldecoa pointed out.
According to the head of Communications, the company promised to complete the work no later than the following week.
Regardless of whether or not they meet the agreed deadline, the portfolio will undertake an exhaustive audit to verify the effectiveness of the work and whether they comply with the guidelines established in the contract.
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