Barbados to install new radar system at Grantley Adams Airport

The Government of Barbados plans to install new radar and airspace management technology at Grantley Adams International Airport to help air traffic controllers manage the growing number of aircraft entering the country’s airspace.

Minister of Tourism and International Transport Ian Gooding-Edghill said the upgrade, announced during debate on the Appropriation Bill 2026 in the Barbados House of Assembly, will improve both safety and efficiency as the island experiences record airlift.

A key component of the project is a new monopulse secondary surveillance radar system valued at about $7.2 million. The equipment forms part of a broader $17 million aviation technology programme supported by the CAF Development Bank.

Chief Executive Officer of the airport, Hadley Bourne, said the radar system will allow controllers to better track aircraft and manage spacing between planes, particularly during busy periods when congestion occurs in the airspace before aircraft even land.

The planned upgrade comes days after operations at the airport were disrupted when air traffic controllers staged a sickout that temporarily closed Barbados’ airspace for about seven and a half hours.

The shutdown caused flight cancellations, delays and diversions. Some services operated by American Airlines were affected, while a JetBlue flight from New York returned to John F. Kennedy International Airport and an Air Canada service turned back to Canada before the airspace reopened later that day.

Gooding-Edghill said the airport, built about 40 years ago, was not designed to handle the current volume of traffic. The facility recently recorded 2.4 million passengers passing through its terminals — the highest number in its history.

The surge has created pressure on airport infrastructure, particularly during peak travel periods when multiple aircraft may be waiting for parking positions on the apron.

To address the growing demand, the government is planning the first phase of a $120 million expansion of the airport to increase capacity and improve services.

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Officials say investments are also being made in equipment to improve aircraft handling and passenger processing as traffic continues to grow.

According to Lemuel Padmore, the chief executive officer of Caribbean Aircraft Handling, peak arrival times between 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. can see about 15 aircraft arriving, moving nearly 3,000 passengers and approximately 4,500 bags through the airport during that period.