ALLAN SIMON, INFORMATION SYSTEMS MANAGER

PSIA Refurbishment and Expansion Supplement

The availability of relevant information on a timely basis is becoming increasingly important for any business organization and the Point Salines International Airport recognizes this.

Allan Simon is the Manager Information Systems. His duty is to provide support for the general administration of the Airports Authority in terms of guaranteeing system availability as it relates to information.

That information must be available to all; both the users of the airport in terms of passengers and the administrative team at the airport will be able to use various tools in order to ensure the successful functioning of the facility.

Not only must Simon ensure that everyone has the information that they need to execute their duties but they must have it in a timely manner and in a manner which will enable them to use it as a tool to perform their role at PSIA.

Simon pointed out that focus must be brought to the Grenada’s Airports Authority’s mandate as the administrative tool of Point Salines International Airport. And the more information that is available, the better quality decisions the personnel can make.

Although Simon has worked at PSIA for several years his present position is one that has been recently created. He has however always been involved with the information system at the airport.

His primary function originally was to provide administrative support to the maintenance department by way of monitoring and reporting on maintenance activities. All this so that proper decisions can be made at the facility concerning when to get rid of a certain asset and buy a new one or whether it makes sense to continue maintaining it for example.

The IS manager said his post has evolved because people need information on a more timely basis. The whole environment has changed and more and more computers have been introduced.
Simon said the technology becoming available on a constant basis is as dynamic as the industry itself. He was referring to the changes in the technology including the new software constantly coming on stream. It has therefore been a challenge to effectively keep up and ensure that the airport operates at maximum efficiency.

Simon said during his time at the airport there have been some significant adjustments even in the way the airport is administrated. He thinks things are poised to move forward now because the airport has a good mix of experienced personnel together with those new to the aviation industry.

These new people come with very good ideas and when those ideas are blended with the experience the result is a new thrust in terms of innovation and the way things are done on the airport.

Simon believes that the various departments at PSIA are already planning for the future and as it relates to the expansion and the physical improvement he noted the various comments that they have been receiving all approving and praising the improvement in the aesthetics of the compound.

However both the experienced staffer and the authority’s management members know that they cannot become complacent with the praise they are getting because they are aware that they still have a long way to go.

They are working with a master Plan which is pointing the way forward and while this phase of the construction will soon come to an end, other projects have to be embarked upon.

The driving force behind and the justification for all this though he said has to do with our air lift, getting people into this country which is what generates the revenue so the airport authority could finance the necessary projects.

He sees this task of generating revenue from passenger movement as the most critical challenge being faced now but is confident that it will be done.

At the airports authority they are also aware Simon said that they cannot do it alone but require a joint effort among themselves, the hotels, the Grenada Board of Tourism, and all other relevant players.

The Information Systems manager said one of the feedbacks they have been getting concerns the shortage of rooms on the island which makes it more difficult to attract additional airlines.

So although PSIA does have the facilities and capacity to accommodate more aircraft this alone is not enough but must be a national effort.
Simon said more and more his role and that of his department is becoming increasingly critical to airport operations.

At present the Authority has installed a computer system at the tower, which provides air Traffic controllers with aeronautical information pertinent to flight plans and routing informational. This system is interconnected to AFTN circuit, which facilitates similar information being shared with other islands in the region and extra-regional territories.

Another computer-based system is the flight display system and Simon said it is important that these systems are always up and available for people wanting information especially with the airport getting bigger travelers can’t be walking around asking for information. It must be provided to them.

All that being the case the airport authority has taken a decision to improve on the IT infrastructure at the facility in order to sustain those drives.

Simon thinks that in this era where small size is no excuse for incompetence development of the information system is just as important as that of the other infrastructure that the airport carries.
He said whether you are a developing country or not once you are prepared to host events such as Cricket World Cup and once you intend to attract large numbers of persons at a time there are certain things that they expect to find and accept no excuse for lack thereof.

The airport authority has realized this hence the thrust into ensuring the availability of all the necessary conveniences. Personnel in the IT department for example are on constant call and can be brought out whenever they are needed.

The IS manager said the role of his department and other such departments not only at PSIA but on the world stage will continue to increase in importance considering the numerous inventions that are coming out everyday and the rate at which things are changing.