AIRPORT REPORT: BERMUDA
Bermuda calling With its new state-of-the-art terminal, Bermuda’s LF Wade International Airport has never been better equipped to offer passengers a unique and memorable experience, writes Joe Bates.
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t may not have had that many visitors yet due to the continued impact of the global COVID-19 pandemic, but the new terminal at Bermuda’s LF Wade International Airport (BDA) has certainly impressed those lucky enough to have used it in its opening few months. Anyone doubting the ‘wow’ factor it has added only need to look at some of the feedback from passengers and staff on its opening day. “Really beautiful”, “Fabulous and spacious”, “Absolutely awesome” and “It looks like a world class airport” were just some of the comments given by passengers when the new $400 million terminal opened for business on December 9, 2020. And airport operator, Bermuda Skyport, is certain that the new complex – built on a brownfield site around 150 yards away from the old terminal – will prove to be a success and introduce new levels of comfort, safety and service to passengers. Completed on budget, on time and on spec, the new modern 288,000 square foot facility provides improved passenger processing, increased passenger capacity, greater resilience to extreme weather conditions and a host of new passenger friendly facilities such as enhanced specialty retail and F&B outlets and covered passenger jet bridges. “It is a game changer for us in more ways than one, and we managed to complete its construction and opening during a once in a century pandemic,” comments Aaron Adderley, president of Bermuda Skyport, noting that new terminal was first mentioned in BDA’s 2008 master plan. “It will make a huge difference to the way we operate now, and in the years to come. It was needed as the old terminal had passed its life expectancy and its location close to the shoreline meant that it was susceptible to severe weather events.”
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AIRPORT WORLD/ISSUE 2, 2021
The latter threat is no longer an issue, confirms Adderley, due the extra resiliency built into the design of the new complex, which included locating it inland around nine feet higher than the old terminal to avoid the risk of being flooded by ocean storm surges during the hurricane season. “We have the first new passenger terminal in Bermuda for 70 plus years, so to say that it is a milestone for the island would be somewhat of an understatement,” he reminds me. “In addition to incorporating a sense of resiliency into the building, we wanted to create something that enhanced the overall passenger experience and provided us with a facility that is both functional and flexible in terms of its use, development and ability to accommodate future technologies.”
Wowing the senses Focusing on the customer experience side of things, he reveals that the airport adopted a “sensorial” approach to the new terminal in a bid to create something unique that would excite passengers. “We deliberately targeted the senses,” he explains. “By that I mean we focused on the sense of taste, the sense of place, the sense of hearing and sense of smell.” By sense of place, he admits that BDA did what a number of other airports around the world have done and replicated examples of the local culture, people, surroundings and popular attractions in its terminal building. In this regards, Adderley notes that little bits of ‘Bermudiana’ have been incorporated into the interior design of the terminal and can be seen most clearly by the models of cahow and long-tailed birds hanging
