GRANTLEY ADAMS INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT
SOARING TO THE TOP
Powered by Inside Sustainability
inside-SUSTAINABILITY.com
GRANTLEY ADAMS INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT
32 Inside sustainability
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
Inside sustainability 33
34 Inside sustainability
Inside sustainability 35
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
36 Inside sustainability
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.
Inside sustainability 37
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
38 Inside sustainability
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
Inside sustainability 39