TERRENCE FORRESTER, CHAIRMAN OF THE GRENADA

PSIA BOARD-ENHANCING THE PRESENT, PREPARING FOR THE FUTURE

Click on the loudspeaker to listen to the audio Interview

In this interview Forrester talks about this present project and what is to come for PSIA.

To my mind people take an international airport for granted. They see planes fly out; planes fly in and are probably not so interested in what goes on, the machinery that runs an international airport. As the Chairman give us an insight into the technicalities of running an international and maintaining the necessary standards and certification.

I have been the chairman since April 2005 and this development came on the heels of the need to in a massive expansion and renovation of the airport in order to facilitate the needs of World cup 2007.

It was a tremendous task in itself. We had already in our possession a master plan development of the airport which was done by a company called HNTP of the USA and coming out of that master plan we engaged consultants out of Cuba who assisted us relative to accomplishing a part of the master plan refurbishing, development and expansion work.

We then engaged contractors and eventually selected a company out of Jamaica called OMS and they are just concluding the final works of the expansion of the airport. This was brought on with a little bit of a haste and necessity in order to accommodate the expansion needs of the projected demands for World Cup 2007 but it is also correct to state that the expansion of the airport was very much in the making for a very long time and was actually needed in an effort to take the airport to the next level as to where it needs to go.

We are happy that this has been accomplished. We now have a brand new check-in area. All the airlines are in one block and therefore it is an entire check-in area. That check in area is facilitated by back offices which accommodate that airline operators, baggage control systems etc. We then have a new departure tax area, a bank will be moving in shortly, new concessionaire shops etc. and we are now looking at expanding the area which houses the immigration, departure and security facilities.

We realized there is a little bit of a bottle neck there so within the next few weeks we will make the necessary accommodation so that there will be a smooth flow of passengers.

We have also expanded the arrival baggage area. We are putting in 2 new carousels. We also have a brand new upper level departure lounge which feeds from the old existing departure lounge. In other words we now have two departure lounges and the airplanes have the privilege of deciding which one to use for their passengers to board. We have constructed a brand new VIP room on the upper level departure lounge and there will be a second VIP room because the existing one will be incorporated into the existing departure area. We will have an escalator, manual steps plus a lift to take care of passengers’ needs.

All in all, the airport has gotten quite a facelift and looks very impressive although not finished yet and Grenadians have given it a vote of approval.

The formal opening of these facilities will be in a few weeks time.

What has been the cost of the work so far and how did you raise the financing?

The projected cost so far amounts to close to 14 or 15 million EC dollars. We have been able to utilize our own resources at the Airports Authority, resources that were on fixed deposits in various institutions but at this particular time we are running a little bit tight and hoping that we can continue to manage it effectively.

It’s very important to improve the facility. Could you tell us about plans for upgrading the ability of the staff to take on the responsibility of serving the international community in the way that they expect?

We have ongoing training arrangements for staff and I must note that we are grateful for the assistance being offered by Mr. Peter De Savary who is presently undertaking a major tourism project in Grenada.

He has offered the airport a training facilitator and we have daily and constant training of all staff at the airport including immigration, customs, administration, airline staff and all staff members because we realize that customer service is a number one priority at this airport.

You mentioned Peter De Savary and I was going to ask you about plans I heard he has to work with the airport authority to establish a hanger and some other facilities for housing of private jets. Can you elaborate on that?

Well he has indicated and we certainly concur that as Grenada moves deeper and closer into more and more development and expansion more and more investors and other individuals will be coming to Grenada with private jets and therefore we need to create the facilities to that private jet operators can have hanger spaces, maintenance spaces and a fixed base operation otherwise known as a first class lounge.

We have also received from the group a golf cart which is presently being used to provide facilities for passengers and crew from private jets, to also accommodate first class passenger of flights from the SU, the UK etc. and also to ferry passengers in need such as the elderly, wheelchairbound and so on.

When would Mr. De. Savary’s work begin, when will it end and what are the implications for tourism with all of the changes taking place at the airport?

We hope to soon start the preparation for the hanger spaces and for the construction of the first class lounge. First of all it will be a temporary lounge but the intention is to have a major first class lounge built later on at the upper part of the airport compound where the old building is presently located and was previously used by the Julien family.

Is he funding it directly?

Yes, as a matter of fact he is participating in the financing along with some other developers on Grenada so it will be a joint venture operation with Grenada Airports Authority, peter De Savary, The Hog Island project developers, the project developers in Levera, the developer of the project on Calivigny Island and others.

Can you give us an estimated cost and when it will be completed?

I am not in a position to give a cost for example of the first class lounges. The hanger space is relatively inexpensive. We are basically preparing the ground and they will have the responsibility to put on the slabs and import the hangers. That is of no cost to the airport authority.

Persons who are asking where is the tourism, where is the traffic for all the upgrading, what is your response to that?

Many a time you will also have to ask yourself the question which one comes first the chicken or the egg and the reality is if you are never prepared to accept and access opportunities then you will never get opportunities.

But in your forward planning what are you working towards?

We are working very closely with the Grenada Airlift Committee and we had several meetings with major airline carriers out of the US. We are reasonably comfortable with the transport mode from the UK, British Airways, Virgin Atlantic, Excel and Condor out of Germany. In the UK and Europe we are o.k. the area we have to develop is out of the US. We only have for the time being American Eagle out of San Juan and when necessary they will put on an extra flight.

We are working assiduously with US and regional carriers relative to improving our airlift out of the US. Air Jamaica is doing a fantastic job coming in 5 times a week and we are now negotiating with the former BWIA, Caribbean Airways. They are hoping to recommence service from the US into Grenada.

We are quite hopeful. Earlier this year talks were held in Atlanta with a US carrier who expressed strong interest in coming to Grenada and all of this interest from carriers are coming as a result of the projects that Grenada has been attracting.

A great amount of your resources come from departure tax. Is the rise in airfares a concern for the airport authority?
Have you seen a drop in Caribbean traffic and are you concerned?

Yes we are concerned regarding the increase in fares especially with the new combination of Caribbean Star and LIAT. That has also resulted in a reduction in flights and an increase in cost. That is a concern not just for the Airports Authority but to the government and people of Grenada. Discussions have been held with the management of LIAT and our government and Minister of Tourism have expressed concern regarding the cost.

We hope with the talks LIAT will realize that they could increase their traffic, increase the movement of passengers within the region at a reasonable price. It is left to be seen what will be the outcome.

Although the project was not quite complete foe World Cup, from all reports the PSIA did an excellent job of welcoming visitors. How was that achieved?

This came about as a result of the close working relationship and collaboration with the staff of the airport, the entire security unit and all personnel associated with the airport and those working closely with the airports authority.

We recognize that in order to achieve our goal we have to involve people in every aspect of it. I have to give commendation to the new Acting CEO Mrs. Joan Gilbert and her management team and staff for working diligently. The security unit, immigration and all involved gave 100%.
We also had full support from the minister relative to the entire exercise and are quite pleased with the result.

What were some of the problems encountered?

We have had some delays for various reasons. When we started in August last year there were some delays as a result of some workers have to participate in carnival. We also had some delays caused by rain in September. The project should have been completed two months ago so it is anticipated to be two months delayed. We are hoping that by the end of June the entire project will be completed.

So far it is looking really lovely, it is something wonderful to behold like a true developed Caribbean airport.

What is the mission of the Board? What are you hoping to deliver at the end of the day?

At the end of the day the Grenada Airports Authority wishes to make this product one of the best in the Caribbean, an airport that can provide all the facilities for the traveling public with great ease. We are very much aware of the need for customer service and we want to be one of the best customer service airports in the Caribbean.

We want to ensure that when people visit Grenada they must remember it for the top quality service that they received at the airport.

As chairman what legacy are you leaving?

Upon accepting chairmanship of the airport I had indicated to the minister that I could only afford one year of service to the authority since I am committed to several other areas.

It so happened that it went on to two years and yesterday there was a formal goodbye to me as my stint as chairman of the airport expires at the end of May.

Incidentally the minister of tourism is also leaving tourism to take up a new ministry so we were both bid farewell at the same time while the new minister of tourism was introduced.
I would like to leave with a legacy of trying by best with the limited resources and with the assistance of the directors, management and staff. That we did our best to move the airport from where it was to where it is presently in its refurbishing and upgrading and what it looks like today and that we were able to bring awareness and consciousness to the workers at the airport that customer service ought to be second to none and Grenada ought to be known for customer service.

What does the development of the airport and other areas say about the government thrust to overall development?

The airport must send a message to the rest of the world that Grenada is a country to be taken seriously. That it is serious about the development of its people and its commerce. A small country with limited resources but big aims and objectives.

How ready is the facility to continue its development based on the master plan?

The master plan is set. There is a strong board of directors, a strong management team and they just need to continue the hard work, commitment, sacrifice and ensure that they take the airport to another level. By the time this project is complete it means having to plan the other areas of trying to make the airport a full destination, like a small city.