Complaints about the shabby state of amenities at the Norman Manley International Airport (NMIA) should not be taken lightly in the context of the new hygiene protocols being dictated by COVID-19.
A passenger wrote in a letter to the editor to this newspaper on July 8: “I landed in Jamaica at Norman Manley International Airport (NMIA) at 11:20 a.m. on July 1, and both the ladies’ and male bathrooms between the gate and immigration had no toilet paper, hand towels, or soap. This angered several travellers who arrived that morning.”
On leaving the airport a few days later, the passenger said, the floor was dirty and the ladies’ bathroom at Gate 8 had no paper towel, toilet paper, or soap, and the faucet did not work. The three ladies behind me at Gate 8 said they went to the other two bathrooms and both of those bathrooms were “disgusting”.
Emerging from the deadly pandemic, the world’s airports are expected to be cleaner, safer places, fully equipped with sanitising stations and other modern hygiene facilities to help defeat this virus and others which might be lurking.
When the pandemic hit, Mexican company GAP had only just signed a 25-year concession agreement with the Airports Authority of Jamaica (AAJ) in what was hailed as a successful public-private partnership. The facility is being run by GAP’s local subsidiary, PAC Kingston Airport (PACKAL).
Using private money, PACKAL was due to undertake a US$110-million modernisation programme at the NMIA. Under the arrangement, the Government was to get a guaranteed percentage of the airport’s gross revenue. The so-called P3s were seen as a way of creating new possibilities for the NMIA, which had been struggling to find funds to finance modernisation and expansion projects. GAP also operates Sangster International Airport in Montego Bay.
As is well documented, aviation was severely hurt by COVID-19 as lockdowns and border closures kept travellers at home and airplanes grounded. And even though passenger loads are growing once again, the numbers are not yet at the pre-pandemic levels.
PAC, like all other airport operators, was affected. How badly? It has been reported that traffic at the NMIA dropped by 70 per cent. And GAP reported in 2020 that it had lost millions on the 14 facilities it operates in Mexico.
PACKAL said then that it was still committed to doing the capital works at the NMIA, but was discussing a new timetable with Government. Earlier this year, then Transport Minister Robert Montague announced that the Government had agreed to postpone start of the work.
Given that the airport is an essential part of the island’s transport network, it is disappointing that the AAJ has not provided the country with a further update about GAP’s plans. Even if modernisation does not include the use of technology such as biometric systems, as seen in many airports, it is expected that the management would deploy crews to keep the airport clean and establish sanitisation stations throughout highly trafficked areas, in keeping with international best practice and the needs of the travelling public.
Scientists have reportedly scored airports as being very dangerous for the transmission of COVID-19. And restrooms are the most highly visited areas in an airport. So, like all service providers, airport operators must listen to their customers and make the necessary adjustments to improve service delivery.
This complaint about the NMIA deserves a strong response from the AAJ, as regulator and custodian of the airport’s asset which plays an important role in the country’s economic development.
The only way to avoid COVID-19 and other harmful germs at airports is to heed the hygiene protocols and implement a rigorous quality control process. PACKAL must make this investment as a matter of urgency.