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<span style="font-size: 17pt"><span style="font-family: 'Arial Black'">Lionel Densham Aerodrome Opens</span></span>
<span style="font-family: 'Arial Black'">PLAINS, St Elizabeth — An aerodrome, which founder Jason Henzell says is intended to help make the south coast resort of Treasure Beach "a premier destination in the Caribbean", was formally launched on Thursday.
Located on seven acres of land at Short Hill in Pedro Plains just outside of Treasure Beach, the Lionel Densham Aerodrome was completed at a cost of $18 million.
Henzell's Treasure Beach-based hotel enterprise, Jakes, is the majority owner of the aerodrome which is named in honour of his grand-uncle, the late adventurer, flier and politician Lionel Densham. Henzell told journalists that he is being partnered in the venture by an investor "who wants to remain silent" and Canadian independent fuel distributor, Parker McLean.
Henzell said that the aerodrome's private operating licence "limits us in that we can't charge people to land so it's not a commercial venture. It will be for people who are staying at Jakes and investors who are coming into the parish".
However, the long-term vision is for much more than that. Henzell told an audience, which included Prime Minister Bruce Golding, Cabinet ministers and a number of high-profile personalities, not least business associate and music industry mogul Chris Blackwell, that the longer-term goal was to "seek a commercial (licence) and invite the Government to partner with us".
He later told journalists that, "what we want to do is to be able to upgrade our licence later on so that benefits can be wider for guest houses and villas. We want it to be a catalyst for investors in St Elizabeth".
The aerodrome, he argued, would make the south coast and Treasure Beach in particular more attractive for visitors who are routinely turned off by the long and sometimes torturous travel by road from Jamaica's two international airports.
Henzell claimed the airstrip — currently 2,000 feet in length but which will be extended to 2,500 feet in "Plan B" and 3,200 feet in "Plan C" — will help to transform Treasure Beach.
The facility now allows for 10-seater planes at a maximum size. Henzell hopes that expansion will allow for 19-seaters in time.
"We will eventually be building an arrivals area... a lovely little terminal building that says 'Welcome to Treasure Beach'," he said. The expansion would be part of the strategy to establish "Treasure Beach as a premier destination in the Caribbean, not just in Jamaica... I believe in my heart that Treasure Beach is an extremely special place and I believe the aerodrome will also affect (other) people who also appreciate that," he said.
In the short term, Henzell said the aerodrome represented "a very strategic move" for Jakes and for Blackwell's marketing and sales company Island Outpost because "it will allow us to fly around to the different properties".
Henzell is president of Island Outpost, which has sales and marketing contracts with a number of exotic tourist properties, including Jakes in Treasure Beach, Golden Eye in Oracabessa, The Caves in Negril, Strawberry Hill in Irish Town, and Ceejam in Port Antonio.
On Thursday, Blackwell was among those hailing Henzell's aerodrome initiative as a "fantastic" move because of its value to tourism but also for speed and simplicity of travel. "I would like to see airstrips like this in every parish, so people can travel around and see Jamaica," he said.
"Obviously you can drive, but somewhere like here (South West St Elizabeth) takes a long, long time to get here by car... I know for me... I always get lost whenever I come here (south coast)... I have found myself driving around Mandeville five times before finding my way," added Blackwell.
More than half-a-dozen small planes flew in and out of the newly constructed aerodrome during Thursday's ceremony, inspiring Henzell to say special thanks for the help and support of the local flying community.
He noted that while neither Jakes nor Island Outpost intended to own any of the small carriers using the facility, there was a plan to lease a craft. But for the most part, he said, "we will want to work with independent companies".
Against the backdrop of the threat posed by narcotic traffickers who have given aerodromes a "bad reputation" over the years, Henzell said special security measures were being put in place to protect the Lional Densham Aerodrome.
"We have been working extremely closely with the security forces," said Henzell. "The facility is one mile from Pedro Plains police station, there are chains across the runway (when not in use), which is what civil aviation have asked us to do. The Narcotics division has asked that in addition to the chains we set up a camera to monitor the aerodrome. The camera will be monitored by the Narcotics Division and any police station including the Pedro Plains station," he added.
"I want to run a very, very clean operation. I have worked too hard for my reputation as a legal businessman and my every intention is to protect that reputation at any cost," said Henzell.
The Henzell family, Golding and Robert Russell, chairman of the Tourism Product Development Company, took time at Thursday's function to pay tribute to the man for whom the aerodrome is named.
An eccentric English-born adventurer and flier, Densham made St Elizabeth his home after arriving here by sail boat in 1929. He entered representative politics on behalf of the Jamaica Labour Party in the 1950s and '60s.
Densham contested the Federal elections in the late 1950s and lost to the People's National Party's Sydney Pagon in North East St Elizabeth in 1962.
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<span style="font-size: 17pt"><span style="font-family: 'Arial Black'">Lionel Densham Aerodrome Opens</span></span>
<span style="font-family: 'Arial Black'">PLAINS, St Elizabeth — An aerodrome, which founder Jason Henzell says is intended to help make the south coast resort of Treasure Beach "a premier destination in the Caribbean", was formally launched on Thursday.
Located on seven acres of land at Short Hill in Pedro Plains just outside of Treasure Beach, the Lionel Densham Aerodrome was completed at a cost of $18 million.
Henzell's Treasure Beach-based hotel enterprise, Jakes, is the majority owner of the aerodrome which is named in honour of his grand-uncle, the late adventurer, flier and politician Lionel Densham. Henzell told journalists that he is being partnered in the venture by an investor "who wants to remain silent" and Canadian independent fuel distributor, Parker McLean.
Henzell said that the aerodrome's private operating licence "limits us in that we can't charge people to land so it's not a commercial venture. It will be for people who are staying at Jakes and investors who are coming into the parish".
However, the long-term vision is for much more than that. Henzell told an audience, which included Prime Minister Bruce Golding, Cabinet ministers and a number of high-profile personalities, not least business associate and music industry mogul Chris Blackwell, that the longer-term goal was to "seek a commercial (licence) and invite the Government to partner with us".
He later told journalists that, "what we want to do is to be able to upgrade our licence later on so that benefits can be wider for guest houses and villas. We want it to be a catalyst for investors in St Elizabeth".
The aerodrome, he argued, would make the south coast and Treasure Beach in particular more attractive for visitors who are routinely turned off by the long and sometimes torturous travel by road from Jamaica's two international airports.
Henzell claimed the airstrip — currently 2,000 feet in length but which will be extended to 2,500 feet in "Plan B" and 3,200 feet in "Plan C" — will help to transform Treasure Beach.
The facility now allows for 10-seater planes at a maximum size. Henzell hopes that expansion will allow for 19-seaters in time.
"We will eventually be building an arrivals area... a lovely little terminal building that says 'Welcome to Treasure Beach'," he said. The expansion would be part of the strategy to establish "Treasure Beach as a premier destination in the Caribbean, not just in Jamaica... I believe in my heart that Treasure Beach is an extremely special place and I believe the aerodrome will also affect (other) people who also appreciate that," he said.
In the short term, Henzell said the aerodrome represented "a very strategic move" for Jakes and for Blackwell's marketing and sales company Island Outpost because "it will allow us to fly around to the different properties".
Henzell is president of Island Outpost, which has sales and marketing contracts with a number of exotic tourist properties, including Jakes in Treasure Beach, Golden Eye in Oracabessa, The Caves in Negril, Strawberry Hill in Irish Town, and Ceejam in Port Antonio.
On Thursday, Blackwell was among those hailing Henzell's aerodrome initiative as a "fantastic" move because of its value to tourism but also for speed and simplicity of travel. "I would like to see airstrips like this in every parish, so people can travel around and see Jamaica," he said.
"Obviously you can drive, but somewhere like here (South West St Elizabeth) takes a long, long time to get here by car... I know for me... I always get lost whenever I come here (south coast)... I have found myself driving around Mandeville five times before finding my way," added Blackwell.
More than half-a-dozen small planes flew in and out of the newly constructed aerodrome during Thursday's ceremony, inspiring Henzell to say special thanks for the help and support of the local flying community.
He noted that while neither Jakes nor Island Outpost intended to own any of the small carriers using the facility, there was a plan to lease a craft. But for the most part, he said, "we will want to work with independent companies".
Against the backdrop of the threat posed by narcotic traffickers who have given aerodromes a "bad reputation" over the years, Henzell said special security measures were being put in place to protect the Lional Densham Aerodrome.
"We have been working extremely closely with the security forces," said Henzell. "The facility is one mile from Pedro Plains police station, there are chains across the runway (when not in use), which is what civil aviation have asked us to do. The Narcotics division has asked that in addition to the chains we set up a camera to monitor the aerodrome. The camera will be monitored by the Narcotics Division and any police station including the Pedro Plains station," he added.
"I want to run a very, very clean operation. I have worked too hard for my reputation as a legal businessman and my every intention is to protect that reputation at any cost," said Henzell.
The Henzell family, Golding and Robert Russell, chairman of the Tourism Product Development Company, took time at Thursday's function to pay tribute to the man for whom the aerodrome is named.
An eccentric English-born adventurer and flier, Densham made St Elizabeth his home after arriving here by sail boat in 1929. He entered representative politics on behalf of the Jamaica Labour Party in the 1950s and '60s.
Densham contested the Federal elections in the late 1950s and lost to the People's National Party's Sydney Pagon in North East St Elizabeth in 1962.
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