Lajes Civil Airport managed to adapt itself to the safety measures imposed by COVID-19, guarantees Ana Cunha
The Regional Secretary for Transport and Public Works highlighted on the island of Terceira the commitment made by the Regional Government and the companies operating at Lajes Civil Airport to implement the safety measures imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic, complying with the guidelines issued by the Health Authority.
Ana Cunha spoke to journalists after visiting the terminal. On the occasion, she highlighted “the commitment” of the Regional Government and the private individuals operating in this infrastructure “with a view to improving its operating conditions, as result of the times we live in, which require implementation of safety measures."
The Regional Secretary noted that these changes to the operational organisation of Lajes Civil Airport were aimed, above all, “at readjusting the infrastructure in order to increase its boarding capacity” for a better "control of passenger flows."
In this regard, Ana Cunha stressed, for example, the implementation of measures to prevent “the crossing of flight connections to destinations outside the Region with inter-island flights, which have absolutely different rules.” Moreover, she pointed out the need to take passengers for screening areas “with the greatest comfort and in the quickest possible way.”
The Secretary for Transport stated that these measures provide for an increase in the capacity of the boarding gates, which now grow to five, and small investments, namely in security equipment, such as an x-ray baggage scanner.
Ana Cunha also stated that, with the return of SATA's flights to destinations outside the Region, the number of passengers has increased, noting that “the first flight from the USA arrived Sunday and, now, there is a new logistical organisation, but the first impression is that this process has been running smoothly.
The Regional Secretary also mentioned that the works in progress at Cargo Terminal of Lajes Civil Airport are proceeding normally, with an extension of the deadline for completion of the work, at the contractor's request, due to the pandemic situation.
“There was no stop, as the work continued in the period from March to this date,” Ana Cunha explained, announcing that the work is expected to be completed by the end of August.