The Palestine Airport Corporation was established in 1985, with the participation of the mayors of Manizales and Palestine and the Manizales Chamber of Commerce. The objective of this corporation was to carry out the studies required to determine the viability of the proposal of engineer Gustavo Robledo Isaza to build an airstrip in the municipality of Palestine.
Since that time, efforts have been made to achieve the construction of an airport near Manizales, where planes with greater capacity than those that land in La Nubia and with night operations can operate. It is considered that an airport of good specifications is a generator of progress and development for the region in which it is built and for the surrounding cities.
There have been two attempts to build the track, which unfortunately did not come to fruition. In the first, the contractors ended up in the hands of the Prosecutor’s Office and there is still no final ruling. In the second, the most recent, the contractor “OHLA” failed to comply with the terms established in the contract, so it was terminated and the claims are in Arbitration Courts. OHLA claims $40,000 million, but they are addressing a counterclaim for $126,000 million. The rulings are expected to occur in the month of June. It must be clarified that the two attempts to construct the project were made thanks to the will and commitments of former presidents Uribe and Duque.
There are three phases that are contemplated for the construction of the airport. The first, a 1,460 meter runway, which will practically serve to replace La Nubia, but with night operation, has a cost of $1.2 billion. The second, a 2,600-meter runway that costs $2.2 billion, will be used for the operation of larger aircraft with the possibility of international flights. The third, a 3,600-meter runway on which interoceanic flights could operate, which as things stand will take several years to build.
The governor is very hopeful that the president will fulfill his commitment to support the project, which apparently is happening with the recent visit made by personnel from the National Army, whom the president asked to be in charge of the earthworks. Currently, we are in the process of discussing the scope of the work and preparing the terms of reference of the inter-administrative contract that would be signed. It is still “exotic” that the Army dedicates itself to these activities that were ordered by the commander in chief.
The project has an approximate figure of $460,000 million. The new project manager will have to regain the community’s trust and credibility in the project, which is why it requires “early victories”, which can be achieved with the signing of the inter-administrative agreement. Clarifying that the Army would only be in charge of the excavation. He wouldn’t do the pavement.
Within the conversations with the ANI, it was agreed that while the process of the agreement with the Army is being completed, the investor must be ready to, through a public-private agreement, be in charge of the construction of phase two. There are investors who say they are interested.
Likewise, it is urgent that the manager attend to the requirements that the Ministry of Transportation is making, which are to solve the difficulties presented with some owners of the sites where the excavated earth is intended to be deposited and to define with the Civil Aeronautics the site where it will be. located the control tower. Everything indicates that the necessary environmental licenses are in place and the Ministry’s other requests have been met.
The hope – which is the last thing that is lost – is that with all these activities, which are neither few nor easy, those that Dr. Fernando Merchán, manager of the project, has ahead of him, the inhabitants of the South Center of the department will see the dump trucks again. moving earth and the yellow machinery and the workers working on the construction of the Café Airport project.
