Airport operations back on track

Operations at the Grantley Adams International Airport (GAIA) are almost back to normal, following the disruption caused by Hurricane Elsa last Friday, Chief Executive Officer Hadley Bourne said on Wednesday.

He said systems at the island’s sole airport were about 95 per cent up and running since the facility reopened on Sunday.

“All the things essential for airport operations, in terms of navigation equipment and so on, [are] back. The inconvenience that persons may be having is any office areas and some other areas, but the majority of the airport infrastructure is back online,” Bourne told Barbados TODAY.

He declined to say what remaining aspects of the airport were not in working order.

The CEO also said he could not speak to any progress on repairs to the training centre of the Civil Aviation Department which had been damaged during the hurricane, since that was outside his remit.

In the immediate aftermath of Hurricane Elsa, Minister of Tourism and International Transport, Senator Lisa Cummins said the airport had withstood the storm well.

However, she informed the country that water damage in one area had resulted in an electrical fire that took power out and compromised the ability to open the airport once the all-clear was given.

Minister Cummins had also said there was no electricity supply at nine satellite facilities that needed to guide flights into the island. (EJ)