LIVE UPDATES: Tourism Minister’s address April 10, 2021

Key points and live updates from the April 10, 2021 address to the nation by Minister of Tourism Senator Lisa Cummins.

• The Grantley Adams International Airport is closed.
• Every precaution was taken to secure equipment.
• As of 5:30 p.m., yesterday, our airspace was declared close by the Civil Aviation.
• We don’t have any promises or guarantees on what tomorrow will hold.
• Let’s hope that on May 8 we will see a clearing of the skies.
• By summer we are expecting a modest return of the tourism product.
• I am not aware of any accommodation requests from St Vincent.
• There is no tourism economy in the world that is not facing uncertainty.
• The UK and Canada are also waiting to see what will happen.
• There is a meeting planned for next week to look at regional travel.
• Not many flights are coming to Barbados with a lot of people.
• From January to March, 6 000 people came into the island.
• Not many people are travelling for leisure.
• We are expecting our Welcome Stamp profile to change.
• This is an evolving circumstance.
• With more people getting vaccinated, we expect to see more people coming into the island on the Welcome Stamp programme.

Director of Meteorology Sabu Best

• Once the ash is in the air in St Vincent, it takes about an half and a half to get to Barbados.
• The volcano continues to be active.
• It is going to continue for the whole day and into the night.
• Dust haze should not be a problem.
• Our main concern is volcanic ash.
• Fishermen should stay in port.
• Visibility is not good.
• The ash is not spread across the island in a uniformed manner.
• There is more ash in the north.
• Nightfall is going to come a lot sooner.
• Outside will smell strange.
• Sulphur dioxide is in the air.

Director of Civil Aviation Tracey Forde-Bailey

• A NOTAM is a notice that is filed by the Civil Aviation Authority and it provides alerts to pilots on flight hazards along the route.
• NOTAMS were also issued by the Civil Aviation Department as required.
• This information is issued by the Trinidad and Tobago Civil Aviation Authority.
• The airport can open tomorrow if conditions change.
• At this time due to the volcanic activity, it is uncertain.
• With respect to international flights, co-ordination continues with the Area Control Centre in Trinidad and Tobago.
• The Trinidad and Tobago Civil Aviation Authority will continue to issue advisories to all international flights.

CEO of Grantley Adams International Airport Inc. Hadley Bourne

• Ash is significantly detrimental to airline travel.
• We took a conscious decision to protect our navigational equipment.
• We will update every six hours based on volcanic activity.
• As to when the airport will reopen will depend on volcanic activity.
• We are keeping close contact with our engineering team.
• All of our equipment is in full working order.
• A significant number of flights have been affected – about 7 or 8 a day.