Grantly Adams

GRANTLEY ADAMS INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT

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GRANTLEY ADAMS INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT

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I PROFILE

Grantley Adams International Airport (GAIA) is Barbados’ only airport and the aviation hub of the Eastern Caribbean. It handles daily trips between the other islands, as well as nonstop flights to London, Toronto, New York, and Miami. As CEO Hadley Bourne explained to Hannah Barnett, the airport is a hub of activity. ith aN 11,000ft asphalt runway,

W

popular for this purpose between

(one of the longest in the

South American and European carriers.

Adams International Airport is strategi-

known as the ‘Air-to-Sea season’, the

cally situated on the eastern fringe of the

airport operated and handled over

Caribbean basin and forms one of the

440 flights, encompassing more than

most important links in the aviation

180,000 passengers.

Eastern Caribbean), Grantley

This year, during its busiest six months

infrastructure of the region.

GAIA handles more than two

Renewal and growth

million commercial passengers

It is a time of revitalization at GAIA.

annually, with a terminal designed

The company is bouncing back

to handle 1,600 arriving and 1,600

from the impact of Covid, having

departing at peak. The airport is also

lost 95% of its passenger traffic

an excellent cargo transhipment

during the pandemic. It has also

point for the region and is increasingly

been battling the challenges

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GRANTLEY ADAMS INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT

I PROFILE

brought by nature, including a volcanic

some strengthening and widening of some

eruption on a nearby island and the

of our taxiways to facilitate the Airbus 380.

worst hurricane in over 60 years.

The work was completed successfully.”

“Over the last few years, we have been

The main areas of profitability at the

gradually assisting the industry to reach

airport are aeronautical revenue and

the levels of traffic we’re seeing today,”

commercial leases from the shops and

said CEO Hadley Bourne. “I think most

concessionary stands. But the company

other airport entities will have experi-

is on the brink of a significant Public –

enced the same passenger decline and

Private Partnership. “We are currently

then the gradual or rapid recovery to the

looking at alternative investment oppor-

present levels that we’re seeing now.

tunities in terms of management and

From our analysis, we saw that this rapid

infrastructure upgrades,” Mr. Bourne

return would come, and it has.”

explained. “It is public knowledge that we

The airport commenced work on a $40

recently signed an MOU with consulting

million investment to upgrade facilities,

companies; we’re within that period and

although in 2019, that was significantly

looking to see what the opportunities are,

impacted by Covid. With one contractor

though nothing definitive has been for-

located as far away as Canada, there

malized yet.”

were unforeseen delays. However; that did not prevent the operational

Sustainable skies

completion of the work by August 2021.

The GAIA sustainability management

“It is a runway rehabilitation project,”

plan was completed in 2022, and the

Mr. Bourne said. “We built a new

company is fully behind it. Mr. Bourne

Southwestern apron for parking of

even presented at a conference in

Category B and C aircraft. And we did

Amsterdam in March 2023 to discuss

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the measures the airport is taking to

and the vehicles we use for

be greener.

operational purposes,”

The plan can be divided into several

said Mr. Bourne. “That’s part of

sections: water management, solid

our country’s sustainability plan

waste management, energy manage-

for 2030. We’ve also tried to

ment, air quality management, and

diversify. We have a solar farm

social sustainability.

on site and are looking to expand

As a Caribbean Island nation, water

with the commission of a 5MW plant.”

preservation is very important. “We are

On the social sustainability side, the airport

looking to increase our water harvest in

remains vigilant to the destruction hurricane

terms of groundwater and use that for

season can wreak on the local community.

nonprofitable purposes,” Mr. Bourne said.

“When the wind direction changes, it

“We also have a wastewater treatment

has a greater impact on the community

plant, which we intend to modernize

that is downwind,” Mr. Bourne explained.

and upgrade.”

“So one of the things we have done is

The airport is also working with the

sponsor a local school. We try to connect

Ministry of Health to find solutions to treat

with the public on a significant scale and

international waste that it does not have

do our best to minimize and mitigate the

an incinerator for, as well as exploring

impact of our operations.”

other options besides burning.

For air quality management, GAIA has

Partnerships for the future

been working with airport stakeholders to

After the turbulence of the last few years

move towards EV equipment and shift its

in the airport industry and beyond, the

operational fleet to electric. “This means

strong relationship GAIA has with its

the buses for transporting passengers

suppliers has proved essential.

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GRANTLEY ADAMS INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT

I PROFILE

“Long-term supply chain relationships

depend on each other, whether as a pro-

are built on trust and loyalty,” Mr. Bourne

ducer, consumer, or supplier. And we help

said. “We are straightforward, upfront,

each other, or there will be a break in that

and open. On my watch, we just keep

ecosystem, and then there’ll be some

it wholesome: set the tasks, set the

form of failure.”

goals, set the boundaries, set the

After an event as unprecedented as the

parameters, and then execute. Once

Covid pandemic, it is clear that GAIA is not

you keep it in that frame, it pays divi-

simply recovering but thriving. There

dends for both parties.

are, of course, still certain challenges

“I always try to instigate the idea that there is an ecosystem; we all

to contend with.

“What we are seeing as we return to normality, (and not just normality, but expedited and increased traffic levels), is that staff numbers have ramped up to meet this increase,” Mr. Bourne reflected. “In most cases, an experienced person might have gone during the pandemic and not come back.

So we’re finding a lot of younger and inexperienced persons coming into the industry and it does present some operational challenges in terms of efficiency

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and effectiveness. But it is also to be

so I am a problem-solver. I love

expected and welcomed.”

the excitement of overcoming

As the company looks to the future, it

a difficulty at work, especially in

continues to expand its Capex program

tough times. I don’t like it when

of modernization and upgrades, skilfully

it’s just easy sailing. I prefer

navigating any obstacles that may arise.

when there is a significant level

“I love challenges,” Mr. Bourne concluded. “My background is in engineering,

of input needed from me; life just becomes boring otherwise.”n

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