There are absolutely no plans to sell the Grantley Adam International Airport. This assurance comes from Minister of Tourism Kerrie Symmonds, who charges that some members of the public as well as sections of the media, have misconstrued his recent announcement that Government was seeking a private public partnership to run the facility.
The minister, who was speaking at the launch of two new gates and waiting areas at the airport this afternoon, expressed hope that the misinformation was as a result of “ignorance” and not “malice.”
“I tend to attribute to ignorance those things that other people would attribute to malice . . . . So, when I read in sections of the press that the airport is for sale, I say to myself ‘that can’t be malice that must be a case of people don’t understand’. So, I want to make it abundantly clear now,” said Symmonds.
The minister was referring to comments made at the Caribbean Development Bank’s Wildey headquarters, two weeks ago during the launch of a project to rehabilitate the airport’s pavement and expand its near 40-year-old terminal.
He said at the time that it was necessary to seek a worldwide tender as Barbados did not possess the technical knowledge for such an initiative. Government, he added, was also not in a financial position to develop the airport on its own and would therefore need assistance.
“It is known that we intend to work with the International Finance Corporation (IFC), which is essentially the private sector arm of the World Bank and the world’s leading developmental institution, to give us the kind of technical expertise because Barbados does not possess it in a matter of this nature,” he said then.
This evening, in order to clarify Government’s position, Symmonds went into greater detail about the nature of the private partnership being sought. “This partnership will see us find, by way of an international bidding process, a partner who will invest some money into this airport, who will design, who will construct, who will build and will operate for a period of 20 to 30 years. This will be done so that the entity can get a return on his or her investment, and then at the end of that period, they will hand the operational control of the airport back to the Government and the people of Barbados,” Symmonds explained.
He contended that such a partnership, for which the bidding process could begin in a matter of months, is expected to put Government in a better position to build out the airport to its maximum earning potential, and to realize key upgrades to the facility. He also revealed that the plans to work with IFC were at an advanced stage.
Symmonds added, “I do not think I can make myself any clearer. There is no parting with the land. What we are doing is recognizing that for too long this place has needed substantial capital injection, for too long we have failed to recognize our maximum potential… This entire process may take us 10 to 14 months depending on how nimble we are. Time is of the essence because we want to make sure that the airport is at maximum capacity and has maximum operational efficiency as soon as possible.”
Yea right…
Kerrie Symmonds is looking for a building or something to engrave his stupid girly name on. The GAIA, when first constructed and opened by the then Tourism Minister, Noel Lynch ,was like an old man who could now hold his water. It leaked all over the place. You needed an umbrella inside the departure lounge. Now the BLP is taking another bite at the cherry….lookout. The party, from Owen Arthur’s reign, has a long long history of bungling projects, ask Carl(Liz Thompson) Harper, who was part of Owen’s team. She/it bungled so many that even the Bumble Bees were ashamed.
The Airport and Seaport should be ran by a private company, what is the there to be afraid of if you intend to do an honest day`s work.
What nonsense Kerrie? Why then would the C E O at GAIA meet with employees to tell them about the impending sale?
A BOLT project agreement is similar to a sale for a period of time. This is similar to the B W A agreement with both Innotech Construction, Ionics Fresh water, the agreement on the Prison and other agreements by both the B L P and D L P. It takes these entities out of the hands of the people for mortgage length periods. We can set up local finance groups from the private sector, the Credit unions, Insurance companies, N I S, and the Trade Unions for these build outs of our national treasures. What’s the speed of extensive development of our airport without improving our hospitality room capacity? Again this government is having the cart pull the horse simply to shore up the foreign reserves. This method is unsustainable in small developing economic spaces like ours. We should be focusing on food, and energy development. Those two sectors alone, along with performing arts, sports, and other new technological ideas can bring us much sustainable revenues, that’s the sort of new businesses being called for that will generate the additional tax revenues we’ve all been calling for. Instead this government is pushing further into the hands of foreign enterprises, where generation will never own the most critical entities within our economic space. How will working class Barbadians ever accumulate wealth in their own country when a government refuses to bring legislation to encourage those with money in the bank to invest it locally? Like Errol Barrow in 1986, and Owen Arthur in 1991 Mia Mottley is refusing to use the required mandate to revolutionize this country for the benefit of all. This government criticized the D L P for an agreement with Pier six for development in the Bridgetown port, but now is entering a similar agreement for the GAIA.
The people will speak again, and when they speak it will be decisive against the B L P.
Just another BOLT project and after the 20 to 30 year agreement, only GOD knows who will own it. Just look at the BWA and all the BOLT projects it has engaged in, do we think the people of Barbados will ever own Ionics or any of the so call water desalt plants now privately operated. If i lived for another 30 years, i will be able to tell those Barbadians who are not born yet, why these fields and hill are not our own, because of the greedy and dishonest politicians we placed in our house of assembley from 1994 to 2018.
Greengiant, why can’t you ever say that “when [the people] speak it will be decisive” for the UPP? Don’t you have that confidence in your crumbling Party? The people have already spoken decisively for the BLP on May 24. No election/s is/are in sight.
With all the talk about airport expansion and how much money is spent, will the gates now have passenger boarding bridges so that people don’t have to get wet in the rain when boarding and disembarking from aircrafts??
@Carl Harper: Greengiant, why can’t you ever say that “when [the people] speak it will be decisive” for the UPP? Don’t you have that confidence in your crumbling Party? The people have already spoken decisively for the BLP on May 24. No election/s is/are in sight.
Is that your only reply to me on this one? BOLT projects are not the answer to our economic problems. You and I know that, so lets talk about my ‘putting the cart to pull the horse, sustainable investment against unsustainable investment, the importance of building out room stock, addressing food security, and the alternative energy sector that will produce sustainable employment and wealth for Barbadians’. Lets talk about local BOLT ownership so wealth can remain local, and spread to the working class Carl. Address those things or zip it up.
The people spoke decisively in 1964, 1981, 2008, and 2018. They will speak again and this time for the U P P. Never mind the defections orchestrated by the agreed extension of the controlled opposition movement. The people will also reject that resoundingly. We are on to that, and will expose the Bishop and the B L P’s plan like Jesus exposed Judas.
I know the B L P fear our party, we will continue to build out our bases silently, and rise up when the time is right because no weapon formed against Barbados shall prosper. We through the power of the highest order will reclaim this fair land in the name of the people and open the floodgates of wealth for all. That’s my promise to you.