The Grantley Adams International Airport (GAIA) reopened at 11 a.m. today.
Minister of Tourism and International Transport, Senator Lisa Cummins, said that there will be a “higher than normal volume of flights” at GAIA, due to the recent closure, as a result of Hurricane Elsa.
“For example, American Airlines has four flights; Jet Blue has three flights today. We also have the normal British Airways and Virgin Atlantic; three flights from Caribbean Airways, and three from Inter Caribbean. In addition to those commercial aircraft, we also have the private aircraft. What that means is there are significant volumes of persons travelling out of Barbados via the Grantley Adams International Airport and also inbound,” Cummins explained.
She pointed out that even though the airport had re-opened, it is not 100 per cent operational in all areas. There are some aspects of the airport that are still experiencing power outages and, as a result, some of the processes that are usually conducted electronically and online are now being processed manually.
Cummins is urging passengers to be patient and work with staff at the airport, and to give themselves enough time to check in at the departure hall.
Inbound passengers are also asked to be patient with public health officials who are fully deployed to ensure that people coming into the country are processed safely.
The minister expressed gratitude to all the teams who have been working to bring the airport back to a level of operation, after the passing of Hurricane Elsa on Friday. (BGIS)
