Lockheed Martin Global Services Takes over Roberts Intl. Airport in Liberia08/22/09 - Civil Aviation Authority, Liberia
[size=13]Valued at 40-Billion dollars; America-owned Lockheed Martin Global Services through a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Government of Liberia has taken over management services of the Roberts International
Airport as of August 14, 2009.
Addressing a huge gathering of staff and employees at the Airport during a brief turnover ceremony, the Director General of the Liberia Civil Aviation Authority (LCAA), Mr. Richelieu A. Williams clarified that that the deal entered into with Lockheed Martin Global Services was simply an MOU aimed at helping to re-brand, repackage and rejuvenating RIA as a spruced-up international facility delivering efficiently competitive services in the industry.
The CAA boss assured employees that Lockheed Martin was not in the country to redundant employees of RIA although its four-man management team expected to work along with their Liberian counterparts was clothed with the responsibility of making managerially prudent and strategic decisions in the best interest of the airport.
He said Liberians were united in their common voice for a highly modernized and internationally acceptable airport – and said Lockheed Martin’s track-record in pace-setting around the world was critical to bringing to bear the dawn of a new day on the Liberian aviation landscape. He noted that Lockheed Martin, as a company that thinks in the future also offers a historic opportunity that will inspire a state of the art airport that begets the future.
In separate remarks, Senior Manager, Air Operations – Lockheed Martin Global Services; Mr. Michael J. O’Toole and RIA new Manager Mr. Jim Ebank emphasized customer care, services and enhanced customer experience. They called on staff to begin think-tanking ideas about how the airport could improve based on the quality of customer service. Mr.
O’Toole for his part told the gathering that Lockheed was committed to restoring that pride which once characterized Liberia as a hub for aviation in the sub-region.
This, he said could only be realized through well-tailored customer care and services. He then shared his experience involving one of the waitresses at the RLJ Kendeja Beach and Villas. After he had put to the young waitress how she felt about the training acquired in the area customer care, she responded: “It has helped me greatly to realize that the customer is always right and must be first”. There were separate remarks by U.S. Embassy, USAID and Roberts FIR representatives.
Crucially, the MOU comes into effect at a time President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf has just signed into the Liberia Airport Authority Act, which mandates the professional running of all airports in the country.
Passage of Airport Authority Act hailedIn a related development, amid the frosty ride to get passed and come on par with international best practices – the long drawn out battle involving an Act to create the Liberia Airport Authority, has now settled as President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf has signed into law the Liberia Airport Authority Act.
The President on Wednesday of last week fulfilled a major commitment as the world was closely watching Liberia in what seemed a litmus test for a new dawn in the aviation sector of the country.
On taking over the mantle as Director General of the Liberia Civil Aviation Authority – the Director General of the new entity, Mr. Richelieu Williams embarked on frantic research efforts to resuscitate a virtually dormant industry after years of conflict.
Comparatively, the likes of Ghana, Guinea, Nigeria Cape Verde, India, etc. do have a homogenous identity regarding the Airport Authority arrangement, which largely have the mandate to operate and manage airports across those countries.
The CAA took steps to contract the services of internationally- recognized aviation lawyers from The Gambia and Ghana who made technical and professional inputs to the document; one of such lawyers defended the Liberia CAA in its landmark case at the Supreme Court of Liberia in 2006. The thrust of that success story was “safety for human lives”.
Commenting on the signing into law of the Airport Authority Act, CAA Director General; Richelieu Williams praised President Sirleaf for mustering the courage to do such a great national service to her country. He acknowledged the political will despite challenges coming from some quarters to give the aviation sector the teeth to professionally bite as well as the muscles to flex its managerial legs.
Meanwhile The Airport Authority will be responsible to operate and manage all airports in the country – while the Civil Aviation Authority, in line with its Act, is mandated to regulate the Airport Authority. Liberians are watching closely to see the turn of events as the latest development translates into fruitful dividends.
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