2008 Airport Conference of the Americas
I will adopt the protocol as established and bid you all welcome. A special welcome to Sint Maarten is hereby extended to all overseas officials, delegates and guests.
To the AAAE, we say thank you for selecting our island to host this prestigious conference at such an important time for air service worldwide.
The Princess Juliana International airport is the main gateway to our island for residents and the larger traveling public, and plays an important role for air traffic in the North Eastern Caribbean.
For this reason, the government of Sint Maarten is thrilled to welcome so many of the regionâ??s aviation movers and shakers.
I thank the sponsors of this conference and words of appreciation go out to Drs. Eugene Holiday and his staff of the PJIA for making the preparations to be your host on the island of St. Maarten/St. Martin.
I hope that you can enjoy our island while youâ??re here, but work is "a calling".
Aviation, not unlike other industries heavily dependent on oil and oil products is under severe pressure, the likes of which we have not seen before and airport and airline executives and governments all over the world are scrambling to grapple with this universal reality.
Considering the vital role of airports everywhere, this is an area that is under constant review in terms of capabilities, limitations, innovations and new technologies.
In addition to all of that, safety and security of the traveler have taken on new dimensions since the tragedy of 9/11, but the fall-out experienced by the aviation industry after that horrific event was but a dress rehearsal for the fall out from the oil crisis of today.
No partner in this industry has been left unscathed.
This has severe consequences for airports like ours that have recently invested massively in new facilities to meet the growing demands, as well as those airports that were poised to invest in their facilities to anticipate future demands.
And so precisely at this time amidst much insecurity, we gather on Sint Maarten to examine and assess the very challenges facing aviation in general.
Itâ??s good timing and a good place to be. (Even though I say so myself)
As an island of 37 square miles (in total), yet very cosmopolitan in nature, we welcome the opportunity to deliberate with so many industry experts and partners the challenges and opportunities of the industry.
Yes, there are opportunities to be had, even now.
One opportunity is surely the interaction this conference affords us. The knowledge and experiences of others we can share.
Why re-invent the wheel, or maybe I should stick to aviation terminology and say why re-invent the wing?
Regardless to what, this world will stay connected and people will travel and air service will maintain an important means of travel.
This fact should not make us complacent, but rather inspire us to face todayâ??s challenges.
In doing so, we can only be successful with the assistance of the other stakeholders, in the industry and outside of it. I think of governments, financiers, suppliers and unions to mention a few.
And granted, it all ties in together. The ripples are not contained to the aviation industry only, and the stakeholders mentioned are not immune . So it is a delicate balancing act, with dialogue as the key and partnerships indispensable.
This conference is evident of such a partnership, between the FAA, AAAE, IAAE and the co-host, our own PJIA.
You might not know, but PJIA is famous. Not only in terms of the amount of passengers we accommodate annually on such a small island, but we have made several international listings.
That we have managed to do, because of the airlines flying into Sint Maarten and the pilots who make every landing a spectacular one.
It is a view to behold right from the balconies of this resort, as the boeings 747 or the twin otters land at the PJIA.
And so, it is only fitting at the start of this conference to pay tribute to the staff of the PJIA and the other service providers, the users and in particular the airlines using our facilities.
Wishing you a fruitful conference, a successful exhibition and constructive networking, and an enjoyable stay on our island, I now declare the 2008 Airport Conference of the Americasâ?¦.open.