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.
