Alex Snowdon was one of a number of the island’s States members who visited the airport this week to witness overnight repairs to the runway that are estimated to be costing some £400,000 a year.
‘It’s substantial patching work that’s going on but the problem is they’re redoing areas they’ve already done a few years ago,’ he said.
‘The people doing the work are very professional but we can’t go on and on and on, patching patches.’
The States of Guernsey backed an option for an extended runway with a new terminal and new fire station, with a budget up to £24m., in December 2022.
But as costs of the project escalated by more than 50% the idea was scrapped and a decision on the long-term option is in limbo.
A decision on the runway has been delayed to after the election.
The island's politicians have previously expressed fears that it could be delayed even further until after the Bailiwick Commission, looking at the relationship between the islands, is expected to report in 2028.
This week contractors at the airport were using machinery to scrape away around the top 10cm of the surface of the runway, where dips had appeared, before a new substrate was laid and then finally covered in fresh asphalt.
Each night’s work needs to be completed by around 3am to give time for the fresh tarmac to dry so that the airport can remain open during the day.
During the night the runway is closed to all aircraft so any emergency medivac operations are covered by helicopter.
Mr Snowdon said he had made a similar visit to the airport around six months ago and believed the runway had deteriorated even in that short space of time.
‘I’m just a layman and I’m not a asphalt person, but you can see the runway is in a really poor condition and deteriorating quite rapidly,’ he said.
‘It is urgent that we get a resolution and I look forward to the new States of Deliberation doing so, hopefully by December.’
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