Just 24 hours after his colleague was declaring that there "no turning back" on the decision to move the airport at Herrera to Higüero, the President of the Airport Commission, Rafael Serrano, yesterday said that arrangements to locate the airport in Higüero actually have not been finalized yet. Monday the Executive Director of the Airport Department, Melanio Paredes, made the decision sound like a fait accompli and criticized parties hoping to reverse it. In his discussions yesterday with reporters, Serrano sounded more cautious about the finality of the move. He noted that the State Sugar Council (CEA) has yet to formalize the transfer of its lands in Higüero next to the city dump at Duquesa. He also pointed out that the Public Works Ministry is still in the process of conducting the necessary studies to determine if the site is suitable for an airport. And of course there is the as-yet unanswered question of how the government will fund the estimated RD$200 million investment estimated as needed to build the new facility. Nonetheless, Serrano argued that the Higüero option is the best one, and that there is no way Herrera can remain open and still comply with International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) guidelines.
