Parties share a vision on improving inter-island connectivity by making it more affordable, efficient, and sustainable.
PHILIPSBURG--An historical milestone was reached at the Dutch Caribbean Cooperation of Airports’ (DCCA’s) first International Sustainable Air Transportation event – A Flight to the Future, with the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MOU) between the six Dutch Caribbean islands and the Netherlands.
The six airports of the Dutch Caribbean and the Dutch Association of Airports (NVL) agreed to explore and establish affordable, efficient and sustainable air connectivity between Curaçao, Aruba, St. Maarten, Bonaire, St. Eustatius, and Saba – more specifically, to explore and stimulate the use of emission-free powered flights to execute the air connectivity.
Fifteen dignitaries of the six island nations and the Netherlands expressed their commitment to the memorandum and agreed on forming a steering committee and action group working on a joint business plan to establish this ambition. This business plan will be delivered within seven months of signing the MOU.
DCCA’s first International Sustainable Air Transportation event – A Flight to the Future – was opened at Hyatt Regency Resort, Spa and Casino Aruba on Monday morning.
In-person and virtual participants in the event were welcomed by Minister of Transport, Integrity, Nature and Senior Affairs Ursell Arends, and subsequently by Brigit Gijsbers, Director General Aviation and Maritime Affairs of the Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management of the Netherlands and by DCCA Chairman Joost Meijs, chief executive officer (CEO) of Aruba’s Airport.
The main theme for this first day was “Discovering the undiscovered – focusing on the future of sustainable aviation”. The keynote speech was delivered by Jorge Rosillo, Corporación América and CEO of the Cargo Terminal of Ecuador, TCE and the Galapagos Ecological Airport, the first ecological airport in the world.
Rafael Echevarne, Director General of Airports Council International of the Latin America and Caribbean, and Marieke Smit, Program Manager Sustainable Aviation at the Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management in the Netherlands, also gave a presentation on the roadmap to e-flight.
The following conference days focused on interesting and important sustainability topics: Built for Experience focusing on Sustainable Tourism; Pushing the limits: changing the Future focusing on Sustainable Airport Operations; Reality Check focusing on current Research and Investments; and Connecting Generations.
