Airport boss Jack Gordon yesterday ruled out covered "bridges'' connecting planes to the terminal building on cost grounds.

But he said he and his team had been looking at cheaper systems used elsewhere -- like covered, airport apron-level walkways "which would take you at least to the bottom of the steps.'' Mr. Gordon admitted the system "wasn't perfect'' but insisted the cost of providing bridge-style walkways would run into millions.

He told Hamilton Lions that the current terminal building would need massive alterations.

And he added: "A bridge is a very high maintenance item. They have a lot of moving parts and would be a problem, particularly in Bermuda where everything rusts.'' Mr. Gordon, Airport operations general manager, said the existing terminal would need replacing in about 15 years.

He added: "If you're looking at building a new airport, you certainly wouldn't build the one we have there today.

"It's an amalgam of lots of buildings. The capital costs of putting in bridges would be $17 million.'' And he said: "Some of the terminal buildings are very old and at some point there will be a crossover point when you're better off building a new one rather than altering or repairing the old one.

"But 15 years is a flexible number -- it's quite elastic.'' Earlier, Mr. Gordon told Lions members that the transfer of the Airport to civilian control after the US Navy quit its Air Station in 1995 had gone very smoothly.

And he said that the Airport had been improved enormously since the handover date.

Mr. Gordon added in the financial year 1995-96 alone, $6.1 million had been spent on the runway network, while $250,000 had been splashed out for terminal improvements.

He added that by 2004-05, he expected around $23 million to have been spent on the runways, while the total for the terminal would mount to $21.2.

Inbound passenger throughput had already risen from 700 to 883 "per rolling hour'' -- and Mr. Gordon added that that would rise to 1,000 an hour after work on new baggage and Customs areas was complete.

The ability to push through outbound passengers was still around 700 an hour -- and that was set to rise as well as work progresses.

Mr. Gordon said that when the Airport was handed back to Bermudian control, there were 127 employees, including those for Canadian management team SERCO, with 79 being Bermudian.

But he added that now there were 106 employees, 91 of which were Bermudian.

Mr. Gordon added it was difficult to recruit and train Bermudians for some highly-specialised roles -- like meteorologists and ground electronics staff.

But he said Bermudian senior management were being trained at Vancouver Airport in Canada, while technical and management training was being carried out at the International Aviation Management Training Institute -- and that it was hoped to expand training opportunities for Bermudians.

Jack Gordon