International Airport, Mr. Jack Gordon, claimed there was a "pressing need'' to change the economics of the Airport.

On top of the $8 million the Airport was losing a year, extra funds were needed to finance capital projects estimated at $1 million annually for the next three to four years he told Hamilton Rotarians yesterday.

These included resurfacing the runway to meet international security standards, the separation of arrival and departure passenger streams and the construction of a covered extension for the cargo facility.

To offset the balance Mr. Gordon warned of further landing fee hikes for airlines.

He also cited other revenue raising possibilities including new airport parking charges, the marketing of the NATO hangar as a business opportunity and the implementation of a retail plan to attract more stores and restaurants to the Airport to pay for the losses.

"We have to recognise at the end of the day that we will not get any more money from the airlines than their fair share. That will not be enough to make up the Airport deficit.'' But since the June 1 takeover, the Airport was better and more efficient than ever before, Mr. Gordon claimed.

Since June more than 3,250 aircraft had landed and departed from the Airport including military aircraft, private jets and commercial airliners.

Meanwhile, pilot feedback on the standard of air traffic service had been very positive, Mr. Gordon said.

"The airlines themselves have commented on the fact that there have been no difficulties and that the transition from a Navy to a Bermuda operation has indeed been a seamless one.'' While he claimed he was not criticising the US Navy in any way, Mr. Gordon pointed out that new equipment had been installed to reconfigure the air traffic control system from a military-based to a civilian based-operation.

Much of the Navy air traffic control communications equipment was aging and built specifically for military use, he said.

In a speech to Hamilton Rotarians yesterday Mr. Gordon pointed to the Airport's handling of Hurricane Felix as an example of the Airport's excellent management.

"I believe the team currently in place along with the veterans from Serco make up an impressive group,'' he said. "Nowhere was that more in evidence than last week when Hurricane Felix hit the Island.'' Mr. Gordon also reiterated Government's pledge to train Bermudians for management positions at the Airport. Already one Bermudian held the position of manager of maintenance and engineering. Other Bermudians were currently being assessed in Canada as possible understudies for the three other management posts.

Screening, he said, was rigorous because very few Bermudians had relevant aviation experience particularly at senior management levels.

"In Canada or the United States, people stepping into similar posts would likely already have 20 years aviation experience under their belt.'' WOMAN ASSAULTED CTS Woman assaulted Police are investigating a report that a woman was sexually assaulted in her car at Par-La-Ville car park during broad daylight.

The woman told Police she was sitting in her car on Monday afternoon, waiting for her sister to join her when she became aware of a man walking around the car park and behaving in a strange manner.

Police spokesman Sgt. Chris Wilcox said she thought the man had thrown something at her car and got out to investigate, Sgt. Wilcox said.

When she returned to her car, the man approached the car and leaned through the open driver's door window, Sgt. Wilcox said. He tore her skirt and sexually molested her.

The woman screamed as loudly as she could and the man walked away.

He was described as a black man, about six-feet, two-inches tall, thin build, with a dark complexion and a medium-sized afro. He was carrying a lime green plastic bag.