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New British airport to cost more than $100,000 a person
Airports aren't cheap, but the new one coming in on St Helena redefines pricey. The British government is getting ready to shell out £300 million (around $460 million) for an airport on the little island in the South Atlantic Ocean. This translates to £75,000 (approximately $115,000) for each of the 4,000 people living there. Right now, you can only get to the island by a ship that needs to be replaced – which would cost £64 million, in addition to operating costs afterward.According to International Development Secretary Andrew Mitchell, the UK has an "obligation" to this British Overseas Territory to build a new airport. In the long run, the country's ministers believe that an airport would be a better budgetary move, even though the last Labour Government scrapped the notion.
Fortunately for the folks on St Helena, the rest of the UK's taxpayers will be pitching in some cash.
[photo by a.drian via Flickr]
Filed under: Europe, United Kingdom, Airports
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Jerrick Jul 23rd 2010 11:23AM
How is this the good use of Taxpayers money? 300 million for a market that isn't even sure it needs an airport. And how on earth did they manage to spend so much? Why can't they have a simple airport terminal like the Budget Terminal or LCCT terminal in Singapore and Malaysia?
BJ Jul 23rd 2010 1:07PM
1,200 miles from the mainland? They need some sort of airstrip. Too bad building even a cheap airport will take up so much space and muck up the place ... destroying a good bit of the unique values people come there to see.
Pity your appendix didn't burst on your visit there, Jerrick.