SKY HIGH AMBITIONS
Sky high
As the only major airport in Barbados, Grantley Adams International Airport (GAIA) is a hotspot for international travel and tourism. From daily trips to the surrounding Caribbean islands to frequent flights to the UK, North America and Canada, the airport is fully equipped and eager to serve. Report by Imogen Ward.
Each year Grantley Adams International Airport (GAIA) handles more than two million commercial passengers on arrival and departure. The hub also offers outstanding trans-shipment capabilities, an element that has drawn the attention of several major carriers from South America and Europe.
Having resecured its strong position within the Barbadian economy (following a rough Covid period), GAIA has spent several years improving and expanding its facilities.
In Q3 of 2021, the airport completed construction on its $40 million runway rehabilitation project. As part of the investment, GAIA built a new Southwestern apron for housing category B and C aircraft. The project also saw GAIA widen a portion of its
taxiways, in order to accommodate larger planes, such as the Airbus 380.
Since then, various other improvements have been implemented at the airport to ensure every customer receives a stressfree, enjoyable experience. This includes the recent car park equipment upgrade, which introduced modern technology for a more streamlined parking process and improved user experience.
New seating areas have been made available to those waiting to receive incoming passengers – an initiative designed to improve guest comfort – and a brand-new website has been launched, making it easier than ever for customers to navigate their way to their desired destination.
Of course, expansion is just one of the many ways that GAIA ensures customer contentment.
Trusted measures
Keen to continue delivering exceptional service quality, while prioritising safety and security, GAIA continues to leverage the Airport Service Quality (ASQ) programme. This has enabled the airport to measure, assess and improve its overall performance.
For Q2 of this year, GAIA gained impressive results, receiving a safety and security score of 4.28 out of 5. A perfect reflection of the airport’s continued commitment to its customers, this score helps maintain GAIA’s position as a leading hub for excellence in passenger experience.
According to the airport, this exceptional score can be attributed to recent changes in its emergency evacuation plan. Not only did the airport seek to improve this plan, but it also hosted in-depth and comprehensive training sessions for its Fire Safety Wardens. This was a crucial step to ensure the airport’s safety officers have the latest knowledge in emergency response readiness, communication efficiency and evacuation procedure management.
The airport also recently held dynamic training programmes for all its customer service teams, to ensure they operate as an efficient and effective unit.
The ‘Optimising the Power of Teams for Collective Personal Growth’ programme, which was provided by the Caribbean
GRANTLEY ADAMS
Centre for Organizational Excellence Inc, is just another way that GAIA has been proactive in ensuring every area of the airport is operating competently.
All of this work has been encouraged by the airport’s Director of Operations, who promotes a mindset of continuous improvement.
Green initiatives
GAIA’s sustainability management plan is another aspect of the airport that is highlighted within the Director of Operations’ mindset. Compiled two years ago, this plan focuses on several key areas, including the management of water, waste, energy and air quality.
Being located on an island, GAIA appreciates the need to harvest and preserve its precious water sources. The airport
has been hard at work, finding new and effective solutions to achieve this, including groundwater harvesting.
GAIA is also home to a wastewater treatment plant that efficiently processes and recycles water, contributing to its environmental sustainability and supporting the hub’s operational needs.
With renewable energy being generated by its on-site solar farm, the airport is continuously working to improve its air quality and reduce its reliance on fossil-based energy sources. This farm has been a soaring success thus far, so much so that the airport is considering expanding it in the future.
GAIA has also been working in collaboration with the Ministry of Health to seek out solutions for non-burnable waste that comes in on international flights. This has been a crucial endeavour for both parties as Barbados continues to work towards its 2030 sustainability goals.
A unified vision
As it continues to provide a first-class service, thanks to several years of hard work and commitment, GAIA is optimistic of what the future will bring.
Despite the winter season, the airport has successfully broken its record for busiest day of the year and expects to experience even more record-breaking hustle and bustle before the season comes to an end.
Although the airport deserves recognition for everything it has accomplished so far, it is also clear that its suppliers have played a prominent part too. Without them, GAIA would not have recovered so swiftly. It is also the dedication of GAIA’s staff that helps bolster the airport’s continuous improvements.
“There is an intricate ecosystem at play within GAIA, which involves our suppliers, partners, employees and customers,” said GAIA’s CEO, in a previous interview with Inside Sustainability. “We are all dependant on one another, and we help each other to ensure the entire ecosystem remains strong and fruitful for the foreseeable future.” n
