Business View Caribbean l Feb 2023

97 98 BUSINESS VIEW CARIBBEAN VOLUME 10, ISSUE 2 BUSINESS VIEW CARIBBEAN VOLUME 10, ISSUE 2 “Based on what we see in the market, if we still had the seating capacity we had in 2019 for regional travel, we would have met or surpassed pre-COVID numbers. So, looking at the monthly numbers from the international markets, we are matching pre-COVID numbers. Still, our overall position has significantly reduced due to the lack of regional airlift.” As a state-owned commercial enterprise, GAIA is responsible for raising funds to finance its operations. Its organizational structure includes a board of directors drawn from the relevant ministries and the private sectors. Bourne leads the executive team, which handles the day-to-day operation of the airport, including recent and planned upgrades, as he explains. “We had a runway rehabilitation project that started in 2020 and was completed in late 2022, which has resulted in a new strip. We also upgraded our common-use system, which greatly helped this winter period.” In 2022, GAIA welcomed a new Fixed Base Operator (FBO) called Private Aircraft Services, which primarily deals with luxury travel alongside other FBOs like M-Jet that operate onsite. Besides FBOs, the airport also has onsite fuel services provided through a consortium of providers comprising Shell Oil Limited (SOL) and Rubis Energy. “The consortium handles all fuel-related requirements in the airport independently from the airport,” Bourne says. “They handle that aspect as a turnkey contractor, without our involvement at an operational level.” The consortium works within contractual agreements set with the airport and the carriers it deals with directly. Training is another facility provided within the airport through training service providers. “The COVID pandemic affected many GRANTLEY ADAMS INTERNAT IONAL A I RPORT airlines, which had to lay off pilots and other aviation staff,” explains Bourne. “However, from a straining standpoint, it did not affect the airport directly, instead affecting the carriers we work with. In that respect, it did affect the training capabilities within the airport because of the limited availability of training equipment normally provided by carriers.” Despite these challenges, the airport offers training opportunities through the Flight Training Institute and the Barbados Light Aeroplane Club, among others. “The pandemic did not affect training at all,” Bourne confirms. “If anything, some pilots were laid off, so there has been no talent shortage.” Although the airport does provide these training facilities, commercial pilots required to update their flight hours cannot do so on the island and must travel to the US to complete the simulations.