AUA Airport refining its Restart Phasing Plan

Aruba Airport Authority N.V. (AAA), has started preparing for a possible restart. The restart of a regular airport operation depends on several factors, most importantly the decision by the Government of Aruba to allow again for commercial air travel to and from Aruba. However, AAA has prepared a plan to be able to receive in a safe and controlled way (in first instance small volumes) regular scheduled air traffic as of the 1st of June 2020.

The restart plan delineates four different phases and entails procedures, processes, and other actions necessary for an operational restart. Possible entry/travel/health requirements and measures of local and international authorities, airlines and the Aruba Government will be considered and implemented throughout the phasing of this restart plan.

The defined four phases are the “Pre-restart phase”, the “Soft-Restart phase”, the “Close-to- normal operation phase” and the “Business as usual phase”. AAA has initiated the Pre-Restart phase on April 23, 2020 and hopes to start the Soft-restart Phase on June 1, 2020. In the Pre-Restart phase AAA will implement all kinds of measures on the airport premises to be able to safely handle passengers and scheduled commercial air traffic. These measures entail for example signage to guide passengers, personnel and other airport users in social distancing, capacity restrictions, transparent shields on check-in desks, marking of queueing areas, one-way corridors and adjustment of the airport’s belt assignment policy.

These measures must lead to a safe and controlled operation of small volumes of passengers and aircraft in the Soft-Restart phase. In the “Close-to-normal operation phase” and, further ahead in the “the business-as usual-phase”, volumes can be scaled up.

By this phased approach AAA can and will continuously adapt and make necessary changes based on knowledge and experience from the previous phases as well as on the lessons learned at other airports in the world which are already further in their recovery process.

“While we all might hope for a speedy return to our normal operations with pre-COVID volumes, we must be aware that this might not happen in a few months. It is hard to predict at this point in time when the Business-as-usual phase will be reached but a full recovery can take a long time. We have now a responsible plan in place to pick operations back up step by step, in the safest way as possible and in compliance with all travel and health requirements. Whilst we await the Government of Aruba’s announcement of the date for the reopening of our borders, we will in the meantime be ready for this new chapter as of the 1st of June. We do count on the cooperation of all employees, stakeholders and partners to achieve all the objectives of each phase”, said AAA CEO Joost Meijs.