Roraima Airways yesterday opened a modern US$300,000 executive departure lounge at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA), Timehri and its use will be free until tomorrow while there will be a reduced cost for the next two weeks.

The lounge will be available to persons particularly on a paid membership basis but anyone can use it as a "walk-in" customer for US$45, the standard rate, owner of Roraima, Captain Gerry Gouveia told reporters inside the lounge yesterday.

The facility would be marketed to three categories of clients: corporate, airlines and walk-ins.

Members will be entitled to discounts for all of Roraima's services, Gouveia said. Membership would be either silver, gold, family, or corporate. A silver card would cost US$100 per year and it would allow its owner to use the lounge for US$20 each time and US$20 for each additional family member with a maximum of two. Infants are free.

A gold card would provide for unlimited use of the lounge and would cost US$300 per year. A family card costs US$500. A family of four would get unlimited access to the lounge. And corporate membership which costs US$750 per year would give unlimited access to five executives.

The lounge could seat a maximum of 38 persons, Gouveia said, noting that the idea was to provide an area of "quiet exclusivity."

The executive lounge has four brown leather suites and several burnt-red sofas. There are two flat-screen TVs mounted on the walls. There is also internet access. The spacious facility has a homely feel about it and is about 3,400 square feet.

There would be no additional cost for beverages or snacks used.

Gouveia told reporters that airport lounges in the Caribbean, Miami, and the United Kingdom were looked at prior to designing this one. The lounge, including the washrooms, also caters for physically-challenged persons.

Navada Fernandes who designed the lounge said it was "barrier free", meaning "wheel chair accessible". She noted that supports and other considerations were installed in the washrooms.

Roraima won a bid for the lounge. "The idea was to put the Roraima brand on it," Gouveia said.

Though it is managed exclusively by Roraima, a percentage of the lounge's revenue will go to the airport. And a "minimum charge" was being paid for the operation of the lounge.

It took two-and-a-half years to complete, Gouveia said, because of some construction difficulties, particularly with the roof, and this was complicated by the construction works being done in the arrivals area at the airport.

In response to a question from a reporter, Gouveia said "people who don't invest now are foolish." In his view the country "was ripe" for investment and he observed that persons who were ordinarily competitors had come together to form a company to modernise the Ogle aerodrome.

Meanwhile, the airport's Chief Executive Officer Ramesh Ghir said a new bag conveyor system and a more spacious customs area were among the improvements being pursued at the CJIA.

He said the airport was seeking to increase the customs area by 20 to 25%. A new bag conveyor was also being installed.

Ghir said the airport was also looking to increase the number of trained bag handlers on the ground. CJIA was also working on a parking area with the expected increase of aircraft for the 2007 Cricket World Cup. The lighting for the car park area was also being addressed.