At the end what is important is that Aruba comes together in time of crisis and rolls up its communal sleeves to control and reverse damages. We heard good stories of people getting out of their way to help! The idea AAA had to send several buses to Gloria and the movies, was a good one, and diverting flights, by 5pm, instead of lettering more visitors come in was a realistic move.
The 8pm press conference was managed well. Airport management looked tired but sounded responsible and responsive.
Now that order has been restored, and the accountants charged with figuring out the domestic and international bills, I can only imagine the effort it took to turn rooms around at the hotels. We should be grateful for the exceptional willingness to check visitors in for just one night, with a promise of getting paid by the airport, sometimes down the road. The work that went on at the airport to process the flight and passenger backup. It took trust and goodwill. And those helped alleviate the crisis and mitigate disappointments caused by the extraordinary event, the cracked chiller pipe.
Maintenance is always the Achilles heel of Aruba’s public sector. This column mentions it frequently. As a rule, we are in a chronic state of under-maintenance and under-repair, everywhere.
Was the chiller pipe crack an indication of a faulty maintenance schedule?
Another aspect to consider is the ability of leaders and managers to remember, retrieve, and effectively use past information, and experiences to make decisions, solve problems, and guide their team. My archive reminded me that: In October 2020, AAA downsized, at the time they said, there will be no mandatory leaves in 2020, the packages they offered were fair, just, and socially responsible. Before the global pandemic, Aruba Airport Authority N.V. (AAA) forecasted to finish 2020 with a total amount of 1,295,151 Revenue Generating Passengers (RGP). As a result of the shutdown, AAA forecast to finish 2020 with 473,315 RGPs which was 63% less than 2019 and 63% less than what forecast before the pandemic. As a result, this translated into an expected loss of revenues of approximately AWG 100 million in 2020 and a loss of Awg 23 million for the company projected to make Awg 28 million in profit.”
So AAA downsized and offered packages: “These packages are currently being offered as a part of the re-organization process that AAA has been working on the past months to ensure resiliency and fiscal prudence in the airport’s pandemic recovery strategy.”
AAA pre-empted and downsized, because “An expected loss of revenues of approximately AWG 100M in 2020 must lead to measures and painful difficult decisions.”
When I read that column from October 2020, I ask myself if not too many engineers, with great information stored in their heads, were let go.
I also think we should NOT buy anything from China.
