celebrations -- with a light show of its own.

The lights around the runway are being brought up to international standards at a cost of about $2 million.

And as new lights and new cables are put in they are also tested -- currently bathing the runway in a sea of blue light throughout the night.

Work on the lighting system began in June and is due to finish by March, next year and includes new runway lights and signs, new cabling and five 80-foot floodlights to illuminate the front of the airport.

The lighting left by the US Navy met military standards but mostly did not meet international standards.

In addition, a lot of the equipment had not been fully maintained by the Navy once it found out it was leaving.

Jim Wynne, of Canadian-based Acres which is overseeing the project, said: "This job is a real challenge. You never know what to expect. Something new happens every day.'' NO WAY THROUGH -- Jim Wynne fixes a runway light in front of new illuminated no entry signs set up to guide pilots.