By Staff Writer
International travel borders are re-opening in just over 2 months time next August and the timing is already starting to fan regular activities back to life at the Faleolo International Airport.
The once busy hub for inbound and outbound flights came to a virtual standstill when borders closed more than two years ago, under state of emergency health security measures at the outset of the COVID 19 pandemic.
The closure took its toll on airport workers and in revenue earning commercial activities at the airport terminal without any work movements to keep them going.
The Airport Authority staff of 300 plus dropped to about 200 even while being paid half salaries, in the hopes of keeping them on until they can ride out the border closures.
The Authority lost many of its staff to more attractive offers from the seasonal workers scheme they had already signed up to.
The target now is to add more workers to ground handling and maintenance operations to meet the demand when the pace of work picks up with increased arrival and departures.
Normal work is expected to start to flow again around mid July in time for a smooth transition into the regular run of work by August.
Flights starting up again from the airport to American Samoa are starting to turn up the working rate for the workers.
Owners of commercial outlets at the Airport terminal are reportedly getting organised to re-open again for business.
Weekly flights are being scheduled from Australia, New Zealand and fortnightly from Fiji starting next month June 2022.
All booking reservations, and other airline arrangements for flights coming into and out of Samoa have been handed back to airline companies and travel agents.
This was the normal procedure before the borders were closed.
Passenger registration done through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade has now reverted back to the airlines offices using both online and onsite services.