The National Democratic Congress finds it appalling and unacceptable that after being locked down for almost 6 months, the Maurice Bishop International Airport (MBIA) has been downgraded and flights cancelled because of inadequate material to meet safety and security requirements for its full operation.
This downgrade is a national embarrassment and points to poor management at the highest level. During the lockdown, the opportunity should have been taken to review all systems, processes, equipment, and resources, to ensure that whenever the MBIA is reopened, it will be at maximum readiness and efficiency. Obviously, this was not done.
The unfortunate consequence is inconvenience and costs to the affected airlines, country and travellers alike. The airport is at risk of being and will most likely be fined for the loss sustained by those airlines that must cancel flights at the last minute. Travellers are financially affected, especially those who paid to have PCR tests done prior to leaving for Grenada and now have to get another test done, as well as having additional costs for accommodation, incidentals and possibly additional flights.
Further, this kind of negligence may also have implications for the health and safety of the workers as clearly, all checks and balances have not been applied.
This falls squarely on the shoulders of the persons with ultimate responsibility, including the Minister under whose portfolio the MBIA falls. While Government is about the borrow US$150 million and we do not know how it will be repaid, to pursue an upgrade that many concerned citizens believe can be better prioritised, the Minister has allowed this routine but necessary safety precaution to go unattended.
Those directly affected and the general public deserve to know what actually contributed to this fiasco that has caused significant financial issues for many, including the people of Grenada.
The NDC is calling for a full review and public explanation of the cause of this grave and costly error. The excuse given, that there is a delay in shipping, is not an acceptable excuse, but rather, highlights the lack of preparedness by those in charge, for full resumption of operations.
Everything should be done to find the true reason for this embarrassment and to avoid a reoccurrence.
NDC
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Love it Ron Reagan WALOB
This calls for a thouroug investigation not necessarily to dismiss anyone but to sée what went wrong and where was the short comlngs.Managing an international airport is no easy feat given the dynamics of the aviation industry its among the top 2 industry in the world where there is no room for any error in its simplest of form. Standards and regulation must be of the highest and consistant standards at all times. This is indeed rather unfortunate that the MBIA has found itself in this precarious position during this time.Hope lessons are learned and lets be thankfull this was discoverd in time and not at the scène of a 747 flight event with lives at stake.
It is God’s blessing in disguise that the airport is closed to long haul traffic – given the extreme risks involved in opening up our country to COVID 19-carrying visitors. In short the bigger issue – which the NDC SHOULD be vehemently protesting against, is our Government’s reckless efforts to allow visitors to come here in its undying efforts to saving tourism – while clearly exposing our citizens to this death-inducing disease at the same time. That is the issue that the NDC should be protesting against!
Exactly poor management and lack of supervision and it will reflect on leadership and of course who the will blame when I read this yesterday I was so ashamed that is a safety issue under no circumstances cannot violate safety fire all those responsible because they are not capable for that position collecting high salary for what as supervisor’s and manager’s we all have to Carry out inspection at all times , If you don’t inspect expect to find errors is time to wake up we are sleeping too much lnternational airport has to operate on a very high standard at all times and provide continuous improvements.
Long live the memories of the Fathers of the Grenada Revolution, forward ever, long live our renewed resilience, long live the Peoples Revolutionary Government Party, long live our Marxist Leninist belief, long live our continued struggles to liberate, educate, mobilized our masses, forward ever, long live our Bolivian Socialist Socio Political processes.
Stand up Grenada, long live our Revolution.
Now on the question of the Maurice Bishop international Airport situation that was never an alarm of and for our Party.
One can only make a general assumption and the facts are there. Once any administration can the indecency to embrace a Ministry for Poverty, the liberty of its people has been down graded to those of donkey and monkey and there is one Donkey and 14 monkies managing our nation.
What do you expect form a comedy, laughter, but from poverty is hardship.
That will continue until our peaceful 2023 march 13th Revolution at the poles.
We endeavour to unite our people under a united Marxist Leninist Socio Economic and political prosperous system of government.
Stand up Grenada 2023 is coming, and we guarantee never to close our Fedel Bernard Maurice International Airport (FBMIA) down with mbia, up with FBMIA.
Long live the Revolution, long live the Grenadian People.
Forward Ever,
Backward Never
For match to a new bright prosperous Grenada. Long live the memories of our father’s of the Revolution.
Up with the Peoples Revolutionary Government Party.
WALOB Ivan