Barbados is set to launch an urgent recruitment campaign to strengthen air traffic control at Grantley Adams International Airport, after last weekend’s seven-hour closure of the island’s airspace disrupted flights and left travellers stranded.
Tourism and International Transport Minister Ian Gooding-Edghill outlined plans to increase the number of air traffic controllers and strengthen contingency arrangements following Saturday’s industrial action among controllers, which forced several aircraft to divert or return to their points of origin.
The issue arose after a question from Christ Church Central MP Dr William Duguid, who asked what measures were being put in place to prevent a recurrence of the disruption.
Gooding-Edghill told the House that while the ministry would move to strengthen systems and staffing, it could not guarantee that such events would never occur.
“I would have to be very careful because I cannot commit that these events will not happen,” he said. “Matters related to industrial relations will always happen as it does happen in any country around the world.”
But he said the ministry had already begun examining the underlying issues and would work with stakeholders to improve contingency planning for the airport.
“What we are mindful of is that there are some issues that we have to address, matters relating to industrial relations as well, and we are going to work through the issues as it relates to future actions,” the minister said.
He added that contingency planning would be expanded to ensure the country could maintain open airspace in the event of disruptions.
“Clearly, we are going to build and have more contingency planning because that is necessary for a destination,” he said, adding that authorities also needed to prepare for catastrophic events that could disrupt aviation operations.
Gooding-Edghill revealed that the country currently had just over 43 air traffic controllers, including supervisors, but acknowledged that the system faced staffing pressures.
“We are moving apace, commencing this forthcoming financial year to increase the number of air traffic control officers,” he said.
The ministry intends to train multiple batches of new controllers to close the staffing gap.
“We intend to have two batches of air traffic controllers trained in Barbados,” Gooding-Edghill said, noting that the training programme takes roughly 18 months. “We are also going to have a third batch.”
The strategy, he explained, would help address the current shortfall of personnel at the airport, while ensuring the country maintains international aviation standards. The minister noted that authorities had projected a deficit of approximately 26 additional posts and expected that ongoing training programmes would help fill those vacancies.
He also reminded Parliament that staffing shortages among air traffic controllers represented a global challenge.
Chief Air Traffic Control Officer Glyne Blanchette confirmed that the issue extended beyond Barbados, explaining that global aviation bodies had warned about widespread staffing shortages. Blanchette said the International Civil Aviation Organization reported that the crisis affected many countries and aviation systems around the world.
He noted that as recently as this year, roughly 77 per cent of air traffic control facilities in the United States faced staffing shortages, while about half of the busiest American airports reported significant deficits in late 2025. European countries such as France and Germany had also seen vacancies of up to 25 per cent, with similar challenges reported in Ireland, Spain and the United Kingdom.
Blanchette explained that small island states often operate with far smaller teams, typically between 15 and 30 controllers, meaning the loss of even a few personnel could disrupt daily operations. He said the job’s highly demanding environment often contributed to early retirements, while strict medical fitness requirements and the lengthy training process also affected recruitment.
Training a controller typically takes about 18 months, he said, adding that authorities had already launched a rigorous recruitment process last year involving aptitude tests, interviews, psychometric assessments and medical evaluations.
Blanchette said the first intake of 15 trainees would begin training on April 7, with a second batch of 15 scheduled to start in December. In addition, plans exist to send 25 trainees overseas for training, a move expected to accelerate efforts to fill vacancies and replace staff who retire or leave the system.
The overall programme would involve three batches of trainees and should eventually eliminate the country’s staffing deficit.
Authorities also pointed to the need for technological upgrades at the airport. Chief executive Hadley Bourne said some deficiencies had also been identified in critical aviation equipment. He explained that several key systems were nearing two decades old and required replacement as part of a broader modernisation effort.
Among the planned upgrades are the installation of a new Monopulse Secondary Surveillance Radar system, improved automated terminal information systems and additional aviation meteorological equipment to support air navigation services.
The airport had also recently replaced its instrument landing system and ordered new air-to-ground communication radios expected to arrive between May and June, Bourne said. A site study for a new air traffic control tower has also been completed, with construction expected to move forward once regulatory requirements are satisfied.
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