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PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad and Tobago, November 13, 2017 (CMC) – The Airports Authority of Trinidad and Tobago (AATT) has apologised for the chaos that occurred at the Piarco International Airport, yesterday, due to a shortage of immigration officers.
Arriving passengers had to wait for as long as five hours to clear Immigration after just two of 15 officers turned up for work.
The Airports Authority is not responsible for immigration officers, but apologised for the “unfortunate delays experienced by our customers and arriving passengers at the Immigration Hall at the Piarco International Airport, on Sunday November 12, 2017.”
According to the Authority, the situation was brought to the attention of the Ministry of National Security, under which the Immigration Division falls, following which the ministry sent out additional staff and operations resumed as normal.
Officials with AATT say they are having talks with the Ministry of National Security to implement technological solutions, which will improve passenger facilitation at the airports and reduce wait times.
“We look forward to incidents such as what occurred yesterday, being a thing of the past. While border control is not the responsibility of the Authority, we empathise with our passengers and will continue to work, diligently, with all stakeholders and government agencies on our estates, to ensure an enhanced experience for all of our valued customers.”
