Airport on the ocean?
19 Jul 2007
OceanWorks, a company based in Encinitas, California, says that it can offer a new site for the crowded San Diego Airport — which has for years been in search of a new site located in crowded Southern California — out in the Pacific Ocean!
The company proposes to build an airport 10 miles off the coast, on the high seas. OceanWorks CEO Adam Englund feels that the offshore option is the best and the only viable one for San Diego, and says the company will make it the most secure, self-sustaining, economically vibrant, and greenest airport ever built in the USA.
In case you think this is a prank, OceanWorks sent a notice of claim to federal, state and local agencies on Monday 16 July claiming exclusive rights to 40,000 square miles of ocean to develop, build and operate its floating international airport. It says the site offers more advantages than just space.
An offshore site, it claims, eliminates noise complaints and enables aircraft to land safely even in foggy conditions.
The next logical question, obviously, is how does one get there? Proposals for getting passengers to the airport include fast ferries, a floating bridge, and underground or underwater tunnels.
The final question, of course, is about costs and viability. But here the company isn't offering any details, beyond saying that it's a business proposition, and won't be loss-making.
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