Trade and Commercial Law Assessment - Honduras - Economic ...

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TRADE AND COMMERCIAL LAW ASSESSMENT DECEMBER 2004 HONDURAS facility, located some distance from the passenger terminal. San Pedro Sula International Airport is in excellent condition and has significant capability to accommodate potential growth resulting from CAFTA. There are no specific recommendations with regard to this facility. Aeropuerto Internacional de Toncontin (Tegucigalpa International Airport), in contrast to San Pedro Sula, is an older facility reaching the limits of its operational capacity. The airport is located within the urbanized area of Tegucigalpa and is consequently land-locked. The facility is equipped with a single 1,860-meter runway, nestled between a series of mountain ranges. Bec ause of the airport’s geographic and aircraft approach conditions, pilots flying into or out of the airport require special certifications. In addition, the geometric conditions of the runway and its approaches put significant limitations on aircraft size and loading characteristics, limiting the facility’s overall capacity. The airport passenger terminal is considered unable to sustain growth in international and domestic passenger traffic. The facility is of insufficient size and is ill equipped to efficiently meet the expectations of passengers and air carriers. b. Trade Facilitation Issues to Address To facilitate trade, Honduras should invest in airport infrastructure at Tegucigalpa. Key improvements include the following: ♦ Consider developing a new airport facility outside of the urbanized area of Tegucigalpa. As noted above, Tegucigalpa International Airport is a mature facility with limited growth opportunities. Further investment in this facility as the primary gateway for international traffic destined for Tegucigalpa would be ill advised. The existing facility could be used as a general aviation facility or a domestic terminal going forward; however, its prospects as a major international facility are limited. Consequently, it is highly recommended that Honduras consider developing a modern international airport facility located near, but not in, the urbanized area of Tegucigalpa. Efforts should be made to identify areas with the potential for good landside access, limited air obstructions, and substantial opportunities for growth. Technical assistance will be required in transportation economics, strategic planning, and airport master planning. ♦ Work closely with Immigration and Customs officials to provide appropriate staffing levels during peak operating hours. The airport operator indicates that there are frequent occasions when air arrivals do not coincide with appropriate staffing by government officials. Consequently, passengers arriving during off-peak periods can experience significant delays. Efforts should be made to identify appropriate staffing levels and work schedules to accommodate aircraft arrival patterns. ♦ In the absence of a long-term development plan for Tegucigalpa’s airport infrastructure, it is important to improve the existing terminal’s landside access capability. Tegucigalpa’s existing international airport suffers from serious overland vehicle access constraints. Efforts should be made to identify solutions and build capacity to accommodate passenger vehicles during peak operating periods. ♦ Tegucigalpa International Airport’s passenger terminal requires significant upgrades to expedite passenger processing. Although the terminal is small and requires extensive capital improvements, which should be addressed through development of a new airport XV-11
TRADE AND COMMERCIAL LAW ASSESSMENT DECEMBER 2004 HONDURAS Trade facilitation in Honduras would benefit from evaluation of rail service alternatives. The following action should be considered: ♦ Develop a regional rail service for cargo to capture the economic benefits of rail service through length of haul and consolidated cargo. Rail services have economic value for transportation across long distances, typically 500 miles or more. Over such long distances, rail services provide a competitive edge over trucking services. Considering the available lengths of haul within Honduras, it would appear that rail service would not provide competitive cost benefits. However, such benefits might be realized through a regional approach. Honduras should therefore work with its neighboring countries and the United States to develop a regional intermodal rail strategic plan in order realize the potential benefits of rail service. 1) Border Crossings Honduras provides fixed administration at the majority of its international border crossings. These facilities are designed to house Customs, Immigration, and Agriculture officials while providing vehicle and pedestrian travel ways. The study team sampled one facility for inspection. The subject facility was considered adequate to facilitate trade; however, traffic conditions outside the boundaries of the border crossing impeded efficient traffic flow. However, as noted previously, regional initiatives include removal of border crossing facilities; consequently, little to no investment is currently contemplated for Honduras’s borders. d. Trade Facilitation Issues to Address Although the intent is to remove formal border crossings in the future, near-term improvements should still be undertaken to facilitate trade. The following interim improvement is recommended: ♦ facility, existing operations can be improved through thoughtful planning and implementation of internal processing improvements. For example, outbound passengers are required to undergo three fee collection transactions before passing through airport security. This fee collection process should be conducted at the passenger ticket counter or in advance of the passenger’s arrival at the terminal, when tickets are initially booked. Technical assistance in efficient passenger processing operations will be required to eliminate the inefficiencies at Honduras’s international airports. 1) Railways Railway service is currently unavailable within Honduras. Considering the economics of rail transportation, and given Honduras’s geography and landmass, a Central American regional approach would be necessary to justify investment in rail service to the nation. c. Trade Facilitation Issues to Address Enact policy and enforce clearance of rights-of-way near border crossing facilities. Although the existing border crossing facilities are simple in design and provide serviceable operations within the limits of the facility footprints, outside the boundaries of the facilities, vehicles stopped along the shoulders impede efficient traffic flow. These XV-12
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Trade and Commercial Law Assessment - Honduras - Economic ...

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