In 1941, during World War II, the US by agreement with the UK established an army and naval base at Wallerfield with two runways. In 1942, Carlsen Field, Chaguanas was opened as an overflow facility for the US Air Transport Command aircraft headed for nearby Wallerfield. It grew into a sprawling complex with three parallel paved runways and an airship operating area becoming the largest airbase in Trinidad.
In 1942, the US military began construction of another airstrip at Couva known as the Camden Auxiliary Air Base with a 4,500 feet runway to be used primarily for anti-aircraft training and aircraft maintenance.
The locations of the air bases were strategically chosen as the land was flat and the takeoff, approach and landing paths for aircraft were free from obstacles such as hills or mountains.
During the post-war era, the US handed over all the infrastructure at Chaguaramas and the runways at Wallerfield, Carlsen Field and Camden to the government of TT.
Camden Auxiliary Air Base remained unused until the late sixties when Caroni (1937) Ltd. the predecessor to Caroni (1974) Ltd, began to use the airstrip for aerial crop-dusting. With the closure of the sugar industry in 2003, Camden became dormant once more. It was a wasting asset with great potential for the establishment of aviation-related businesses such as an aeropark with a 7,500 feet runway.
In 2013, the TT Civil Aviation Authority (TTCAA) engaged aviation consultants from the US to conduct a feasibility study on the suitability of Camden as a general aviation aeropark. The consultants deemed the Camden aeropark project as “very investor attractive” and recommended its development in six phases over a five-year period utilising a public-private-partnership strategy (PPP).
TT is strategically located at crossroads to the Americas with a favourable investment climate. The Camden aeropark would have created opportunities for other economic clusters and downstream spin-off businesses generating employment and foreign-exchange earnings.
It was forecast that at the end of first five years with all the aviation clusters operational, an annual profit of approximately US$30 million would be realised.
The Camden aeropark would increase airport capacities in Trinidad and facilitate the domestic airbridge operations especially as inter-island travel, while subject to aviation security requirements, do not require customs and immigration formalities.
[caption id="attachment_996640" align="alignnone" width="1024"] The TT Civil Aviation proposal for the Camden Airpark Development project made in 2013. It never got off the ground owing to a lack of committment by the government despite interest by a Singaporean investor group. -[/caption]
After a presentation to a ministerial committee on the Camden project in October 2013, Cabinet agreed on January 30, 2014 to the development of the Camden airfield into a world class general aviation centre utilising 378 acres of land.
Cabinet also agreed to grant the TTCAA the exclusive rights for the developm
