A.B. Won Pat International Airport Authority, Guam

January 2023
Airport Implements Energy Conservation Measures
The A.B. Won Pat International Airport Authority, Guam (GIAA) implements temporary energy conservation measures at the airport terminal to reduce operating costs. Measures included shutting down electronic conveyance systems such as escalators and moving walkways and increasing air conditioning temperatures from 68°F to 70°F in the terminal. All tenants are asked to refresh their energy conservation measures in their leased spaces within the airport terminal building. Everyone is encouraged to enhance their practice of responsible energy use in their designated work areas and leased spaces by turning off lights, computer systems, printers, and other energy consuming devices/appliances at the end of the day. Multiple benefits of the measures include lowering costs by lowering energy consumption and kicking off healthy activities at the beginning of the year, which include more frequent use of stairs.

January 2023
Guam Airport Rolls Out New & Improved Luggage Carts
Guam International Airport Authority rolls out of a new fleet of 300 luggage carts for arriving passengers. The new carts are lighter, sleeker and easily maneuverable on terminal floor and outdoor surfaces to improve the overall passenger experience. Safety features of the luggage carts include auto brakes, and larger wheels that will accommodate larger baggage and boxes as well as increased weight.

February 2023
Guam Airport Enhances Security with New Narcotics and Tracking K-9 Units
Guam Airport establishes a new narcotic detection and tracking canine (K-9) unit to enhance security and outbound drug detection at airport borders. The new unit consists of “Max” and “Tara,” Belgian Malinois canines, teamed with Airport Police Officer (APO) II J.D. Manibusan and APO I J.P. Mallari, respectively. The Narcotic and Tracking K-9s received their training and initial certification at a K-9 School affiliated to meet U.S. K-9 national standards in Belgium. They were then sent to K-9 Working Dogs International (K9WDI) in Ohio for pairing with their handlers and final U.S. certification. Max and Tara are also trained in tracking of missing persons and persons of interest. The Narcotics and Tracking K-9 Unit joins the GIAA’s K-9 Bomb Detection Unit, established more than 20 years ago. Five K-9 teams are active in the detection of explosives, trained and certified at the Transportation Security Administration’s training facility at Lackland Air Force Base in Texas. The newest member of the unit is “Blue,” a German Pointer who arrived January 19, 2022, and is paired with APO II, Randy Chaco.

February 2023
Guam Int’l Airport to Serve as Support Location for COPE NORTH 23 Military Exercises
The Guam International Airport has been designated a support location for COPE NORTH 23 US military exercises taking place in the region, as announced by the Pacific Air Forces Public Affairs office at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii (bit.ly/40yAuFI). The exercises will consist of numerous military aircraft operating over Guam and throughout the region from February 8-24, 2023. GIAA advises the community to anticipate increased military air activity and associated noise on or around the Guam International Airport facilities.

March 2023
Moody’s Affirms GIAA’s Investment-Grade Rating and Revises Outlook to ‘Stable’
Displaying its financial resiliency throughout the COVID-19 pandemic and with the continued lifting of travel restrictions in Guam’s tourism source markets leading to improved enplaned passenger levels, GIAA receives an affirmation of its investment-grade rating of ‘Baa2’ and achieves a revised outlook from “Negative” to “Stable” by Moody’s Investors Services (Moody’s) on the Airport’s senior general revenue bonds on March 15, 2023. Moody’s states “the revision of the outlook to stable from negative reflects our expectation that enplanement levels will continue to improve as both South Korea and Japan have effectively lifted all coronavirus-related travel restriction… Airport management has taken key actions to ensure that debt service coverage remains satisfactory, including debt restructuring and operating cost reductions.” The good news is received while travel market shares in Korea and Japan recover to pre-pandemic levels. GIAA extends appreciation to airlines and stakeholders for their efforts and commitment to progressive recovery.

May 2023
GIAA Reopens Day and Half After Despite Extensive Water Damage Caused by Typhoon Mawar Flooding
The Guam International Airport terminal opens in just over a day and a half after Condition of Readiness (COR) 4 was declared for humanitarian and essential cargo operations; passenger traffic opens just 2 days later, despite suffering water damage brought on by the flooding caused by Typhoon Mawar.

September 2023
Moody’s Confirms GIAA’s Baa2 Investment-Grade Rating with Stable Outlook
Following a June 2023 notice that GIAA was placed on a 90-day review for downgrade after Guam was hit by Typhoon Mawar, the A.B. Won Pat International Airport Authority, Guam (GIAA) receives confirmation of its investment-grade rating of “Baa2” with a Stable Outlook by Moody’s Investors Services (Moody’s) on the Airport’s senior general revenue bonds of September 19, 2023. The action was reflective of GIAA’s financial and operational resilience, even with the impact on passenger arrivals and operations following Typhoon Mawar. Moody’s states that, “The stable outlook reflects Moody’s expectation that enplanement recovery will continue to improve. Despite the challenges presented by the coronavirus pandemic and Typhoon Mawar, airport management has taken key actions to ensure debt service coverage remains satisfactory, including debt restructuring and operating cost reductions.” Immediately after Typhoon Mawar, the GIAA worked on re-opening the airport as quickly as possible, keeping in mind safety and security for the traveling public.

October 2023
GIAA Weathers Tropical Strom Bolaven with No Significant Incidents
The island of Guam’s goes into COR1 at 10:00 pm on October 9th with the anticipated passage of Tropical Storm Bolaven north of Guam between Rota and Tinian on Tuesday, October 10th. At its closest approach to Guam, TS Bolaven brings maximum sustained winds of 80 mph with rainfall amounts up to 8-14 inches expected through Wednesday morning. GIAA monitors flight cancellations by carriers but Airport remains open without any reportable tropical storm-related incidents

January 2022
International Arrivals Corridor Opens for Operations
Operations in the new International Arrivals Corridor (IAC) went into effect January 25, 2022 with the arrival of international passengers arriving from Incheon, Korea on Jin Air’s Flight #164 at 2:40pm. The IAC is a 3rd floor sterile corridor that sits atop the concourse level of Guam’s Airport, accessible through “pods” that provides vertical ascent via elevator and/or elevator from passenger gates to the sterile corridor and routed directly to the US Customs and Border Protection Hall, completely separated from departing passengers. Subsequent to the opening of the IAC, the Airport was able to remove the temporary, gray, moveable walls in the concourse, once shared by arriving and departing passengers, and achieve the aesthetics of the original architecture, and provides full access to passenger amenities, retail and food and beverage services throughout the concourse.

March 2022
Guam Airport Achieves “Low-Risk Auditee” Status with Issuance of Clean Audit Issued
The Board of Directors of the A. B. Won Pat International Airport Authority, Guam (GIAA) accepts the unmodified (clean) opinion presented by independent auditors Ernst & Young on March 16, 2021. The agency achieves “low-risk” auditee status for the first time since FY 2018. GIAA management notes that despite the reduction of over 66% of operating revenues in FY 2021 as compared to pre-pandemic FY 2019, operating and maintenance expenses had been reduced to the lowest levels in over a decade. The GIAA achieves a Debt Service Coverage ratio of 1.51x, well above the required 1.25x required by bond covenants due in part to its successful bond restructuring and refinancing efforts in FY 2021. Additionally, the GIAA is noted as having provided relief programs to its airport and airline stakeholders, despite the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on its own finances.

April 2022
GIAA Revises Terminal Entry and Screening Procedures
The Guam International Airport Authority, (GIAA) announces revised terminal entry and pandemic practices in the terminal. In alignment with Executive Order 2020-09, DPHSS Guidance Memorandum 2020-11 Rev 15, effective Friday, April 8, 2022 at 0800, all persons – the public, tenants, passengers and stakeholders can only enter the terminal at four (4) entry points which include: the Basement Level Entry from the Public Parking Lot; the Basement Level, Arrivals Lobby; the Ground Level/West Ticket Lobby; and the Ground Level/East Ticket Lobby. Well-Wishers and Greeters are only allowed only in the Ticketing/Check-In Lobby and Ground Floor areas and the Arrivals Lobby. Furthermore, only ticketed passengers are allowed up on the 2nd Floor at the TSA security screening lanes. Thermal screening and remote monitoring will continue for all arriving passengers while thermal screening at terminal entry points is suspended. Facemasks are still required in the terminal under federal rules and regulations.

April 2022
GIAA Welcomes 1st Scheduled Busan Flight Since Pandemic; 1st Flight to Utilize East International Arrivals Corridor (IAC)
Management and staff of the A.B. Won Pat International Airport Authority, Guam (GIAA), and the Guam Visitors Bureau (GVB) welcomes the first scheduled flight from Busan, South Korea, since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Jin Air flight #LJ773 arrives at 1pm, Saturday, April 16, 2022, carrying 85 passengers, 17 of which are participants in GVB’s Guam Familiarization Tour for Busan-based media and influencers. With the addition of the Busan route, GIAA currently services 9 direct routes with the continued recovery and resumption of travel to Guam. Previously, all international arrivals utilize the west end of the IAC serving Gates 4-8—which opened January 15, 2022. Jin Air’s Busan flight is the first carrier to utilize the IAC from the east passenger gates.

April 2022
Face-Masks Use at Airport
The A.B. Won Pat International Airport Authority, Guam reminds travelers and airport users that facemasks are still required upon entry, and for the duration of time spent at the Airport, with a possible lifting by Tuesday, May 3, 2022. Travelers are urged to contact respective airlines for more information on what may be required for travel however a polling of all air carriers operating out of GIAA indicates Unite Airlines no longer requires face-masks for Honolulu and Saipan flights however masks are required in conformance to destination protocols for all their other flights. Korean Airlines requires the use of facemasks for check-in, boarding and the duration of their flights. And facemasks are required for boarding and duration of flights for Philippine Airlines, Jin Air, Jeju Air, T’way Air, Air Seoul, and Air Busan.

May 2022
Guam Airport Health Measures at Global Standards
The Airports Council International (ACI) under its Airports Health Accreditation (AHA) Program re-accredits the Guam International Airport. The ACI affirmed the Airport is maintaining health measures at global standards while operating in an “open” travel environment. ACI represents the collective interests of airports around the world to promote excellence in the aviation industry, by working with governments, ACI members, experts and international organizations like the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) to develop policies, programs and best practices that advance airport standards globally. GIAA’s health programs, policies and practices packaged under comprehensive WE CARE program, has been recognized for addressing risk levels in the Airport environment and taking appropriate control measures to mitigate the spread of infection at scalable levels, in alignment with the World Health Organization (WHO) and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

May 2022
Shortlisted for ‘Asia Freight, Logistics and Supply’ Awards
GIAA is recognized for its importance and positioning in the regional air freight logistics and supply chain with the Antonio B. Won Pat International Airport, Guam shortlisted for the 2022 Asia Freight, Logistics and Supply AFLAS Award, Best Airport – Oceania. Firms and/or airports are nominated in one of 49 different categories based on nominations submitted by freight and logistics companies from the Asia Pacific region. After the initial nomination round, a maximum of 8 of the most nominated airports in each category are shortlisted for each of the different awards. The initial shortlist will be reduced to four finalists, with winners revealed in September, in collaboration with Asia Cargo News, a global publication covering aviation, logistics, shipping and cargo supply chains in the Asia Pacific region. Transit of freight through Guam Airport facilities has grown over the past three years, with air freighters transporting time critical shipments avoiding the ocean supply chain bottleneck. Movement of critical goods and supplies throughout the pandemic also enhanced Guam’s strategic positioning and importance in the regional supply chain role.

June 2022
Outbound COVID-19 Testing Available at the Guam Airport
Meeting the evolving needs of travelers, the Guam Int’l. Airport announces the availability of COVID-19 testing at the airport terminal for departing passengers and other airport users. The American Medical Center (AMC) will administer the testing site, located in the basement level West Arrivals Lobby. Recognizing that the offering of COVID-19 departures testing is a new standard of service in the air travel industry, GIAA pledges to continue to adapt and improve services in its commitment to the health and safety of both travelers and Airport employees. Both COVID-19 antigen and RT-PCR testing are available daily between 12pm – 5pm. Antigen tests will cost $100 and RT-PCR tests cost $200. For RT-PCR test, an additional $100 charge will be added for same day results.

August 2022
GVB & GIAA Forge Japan Partnerships Toward Direct Air Service
GIAA and GVB embark on a joint marketing mission on the GoGo! Guam Road Show to Fukuoka, Okayama and Shizuoka, Japan. The delegation led by GVB President & CEO Carl T.C. Gutierrez and Guam International Airport Executive Manager John M. Quinata generated positive media coverage with a message that Guam is an open and safe destination “ready to receive” Japanese tourists! Both Okayama Governor Ryuta Ibaragi, and Okayama City Mayor Masao Omori warmly receive the Guam delegation. Pre-pandemic Guam and Okayama City had shared a robust friendship-city relationship with both cultural and student exchange programs coming to Guam up until the pandemic, even after direct flights between Okayama and Guam were discontinued in 2015. Okayama City and Guam have been sister cities since 2010.

August 2022
Airport Cuts Ribbon on New Aircraft Firefighting Facility
The A.B. Won Pat International Airport Authority, Guam cuts the ribbon on the new Aircraft Rescue and Firefighting (ARFF) Facility on August 12, 2022 with ninety percent (90%) of the $27.2 Million project funded by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), from design to construction. The new station replaces an old holdover crash barn from the Naval Air Station built in the late 1950’s/early 1960’s. Senior FAA officials in attendance are Shannetta Griffin, Associate Administrator for Airports, Mark McClardy, Director, Airports Division and Arlene Draper, Manager, Planning & Programming with the Western Pacific Region, and Gordon Wong, Manager and Ronson Fox, Civil Engineer, both with the Honolulu Airports District Office. The state-of-the-art facility is equipped with the latest technology, and all the bells and whistles to enhance the Airport’s response readiness and highlights the overall mission of Guam International Airport to ensure the safety of the travelling public, maintain a superior and reliable level of service, and develop air linkages and facilities for the island's economic growth. The facility and trained ARFF fire fighters allows GIAA to be a licensed, certificated, airport operator under Federal Aviation Regulations Part 139. The work to be executed involves critical emergency response, mitigation, evacuation and rescue of passengers and crew of aircraft involved in aviation accidents and incidents within a 3-minute timeframe to any incident on the airfield. ARFF presence and perpetual readiness is a requirement for all airport operators that provide passenger and cargo services to Guam.

October 2022
S&P Global Ratings Improves GIAA Outlook to ‘Stable’
The A.B. Won Pat International Airport Authority, Guam (GIAA) receives a revised outlook from “Negative” to “Stable” from S&P Global Ratings with an affirmed ‘BB’ long-term rating on the Airport’s general revenue bonds on October 21, 2022. With the continued lifting of travel restrictions in Guam’s source markets leading to improved enplaned passenger levels, the ‘Stable’ outlook comes a few months after GIAA’s successful refinancing and restructuring of its eligible General Revenue Bonds in August 2022 where there was strong investor interest which led to additional debt service reduction and interest rate savings. At the time, credit rating agency Moody’s re-affirmed its ‘Baa2” investment grade rating for those bonds. S&P states that “The outlook revision reflects our view that, while activity levels remain significantly below pre-pandemic levels, the airport has demonstrated improving enplanements in recent months, combined with management’s prudent budget adjustments, federal operating grants, and a recent strategic restructuring that reduced near-term debt service. The stable outlook reflects our view that severe declines in enplanements appear to have stabilized and the growth in enplanements observed in recent months is reasonably likely to continue given softening travel restrictions from the airport’s key Asian markets.” Although the GIAA experienced over $130 million in revenue losses since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, the combined reduction in operating and maintenance expenses to the lowest level in over a decade in FY 2021, the restructuring and refinancing of debt, and the $59.5 million in federal operational funding from the Federal Aviation Administration, and the $17 million in American Rescue Plan Act provided by Governor Leon Guerrero helped to curb the full impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

February 2021
GIAA completes Phase I of the International Arrivals Corridor
Phase I of the $137M International Arrivals Corridor is complete and ready for operations. Passengers arriving on the West concourse, comprising of Gates 4 through 10, will now GIAA completes Phase I of the International Arrivals Corridor (continued) be separated from outbound passengers. Upon arrival passengers ascend up to the 3rd Floor Corridor and utilize this sterile corridor to access the US Customs and Border Protection Agency, by elevator/escalator conveyance, thereby bypassing the once shared concourse by departing and arriving passengers.

March 2021
TSA Begins Operations in New Expanded Lanes with New Screening Technology
The new, expanded screening area became operational with new, computed tomography (CT) scanners now utilized by TSA. The scanner utilizes state-of-the art technology and improves the ability of TSA officers to detect items inside carry-on luggage that are potential security threats. The CT scanner applies a sophisticated algorithm during the screening process while an X-ray camera shoots hundreds of images while spinning around the conveyor belt, generating a 3-D image of the contents of the items being screened.
A TSA officer is able to manipulate the X-ray image on-screen for a thorough visual analysis, clearing the contents of the bag without having to open it. Reducing the number of bag checks is beneficial since it eliminates potential touchpoints amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. The addition of the two new lanes and scanning equipment increases processing capacity of about 1400 passengers. Area for an additional lane is in place, should passenger volumes warrant added lanes.

April 2021
GIAA attains Airports Council International (ACI) Health Accreditation
Airports Council International (ACI) World Director General Luis Felipe de Oliveira, presented the Guam International Airport with the ACI Health Accreditation after extensive review and evaluation process of protocols and facility enhancements the Guam Airport has implemented and developed, showing it is providing a safe airport experience for all travelers which is in line with the recommended health measures established in the ACI Aviation Business Restart and Recovery guidelines and the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) Council Aviation Recovery Task Force Recommendations, along with industry best practices” As part of the accreditation process, the GIAA submitted a 40-page application, responded to dozens of questions, and provided nearly one hundred evidentiary documents detailing the enhancements, programs, processes, and practices put in place at the GIAA for the health and safety of all who use the terminal. A seasoned evaluator, with over 29 years of experience in large airports that processes over thirty-two million people annually, reviewed the GIAA’s application which demonstrates to all stakeholders that the GIAA prioritizes health and safety in a measurable and established manner.

August 2021
GIAA Presented ATRS Airport Benchmarking Award: Most Efficient Airport (<10 Million Pax)
The Air Transport Research Society (ATRS) presented GIAA with the ATRS Airport 2020 Benchmarking Award for the “MOST EFFICIENT AIRPORT” Award (under 10 million passengers) in the Asia-Pacific region. This is the fourth consecutive year the Guam International Airport has received this award.
The ATRS Global Airport Benchmarking measures and compares the performance of several aspects of airport operations: productivity and efficiency, unit costs and cost competitiveness, financial results, and airport charges. The 2020 report included 205 airports and 24 airport groups of various sizes and ownership forms in Asia Pacific, Europe and North America. The ATRS Annual Global Airport Performance Benchmarking project was initiated in 2000 at the University of British Columbia. The project is now hosted at the College of Business at Embry Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach, Florida. The ATRS Research team is guided by a 16-member task force of leading academics from Asia Pacific, Europe, and North America.

August 2021
GIAA Successful in Sale of $143 Refunding Bonds<10 Million Pax)
The A.B. Won Pat International Airport Authority, Guam (GIAA)—with the support and backing from the Office of the Governor, the Guam Economic Development Authority (GEDA), and the Bureau of Budget and Management Research (BBMR)—successfully sold $143M in Refunding bonds. The sale results in will a net present value savings of over $3 million with All in True Interest Cost (TIC) of 4.07%, while reducing FY 2022 debt service payments to $8.1 million—a reduction of $5.6 million—as compared to the prior FY 2021 debt service of $13.7 million.
The successful sale of $143 million in taxable refunding bonds was driven by strong investor confidence in the way the GIAA—as well as the government of Guam—has handled the 2019 Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic—with the bonds being 18.1x oversubscribed with 9 firms placing orders for the entire series of bonds.

June 2020
GIAA Meets Global Standards; Receives World Travel and Trade Council (WTTC) “SAFE TRAVEL” DESIGNATION
The WTTC designated the Guam International Airport a “Safe Travel” Facility. GIAA applied for and received the designation having implemented health protocols as identified by the Airport Council International (ACI), and aligned with the International Civil Aviation Organization’s “Takeoff: Guidance for Air Travel through the COVID-19 Public Health Crisis document

July 2020
$22M Rehabilitation of Runway 6L/24R Project
GIAA broke ground on the $22.3M rehabilitation project for primary runway 6L/24R . Funding is provided by FAA grants, and work consists of rehabilitation all port and cement concrete (PCC) pavements on Runway 6L-24R. Elements of rehabilitation include, but are not limited to, existing pavement demolition, subgrade improvement, new runway pavement, and removal and replacement of existing runway pavement markings.

June 2019
FAA 2019 Safety Award Presented to Guam International Airport Authority
The Antonio B. Won Pat International Airport Authority, Guam (GIAA) was the recipient of the 2019 Airport Safety Award by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), amongst airports within the Western-Pacific Airports Region. GIAA was recognized for its exceptional Part 139 compliance record and a three-year running, zero discrepancy/zero findings, in its annual Part 139 certification inspections. FAA also acknowledged Guam International Airport's leading role in the region, especially in regard to GIAA led training and resource sharing with the neighboring Micronesian island airports.

October 2019
GIAA Establishes Micronesia Aerodrome Regional Training Center (MARTC)
The Airport Authority announced the launch of the Micronesian Aerodrome Regional Training Center (MARTC) with the goal to bring valuable, quality Aerodrome Training and Certification to Micronesian Regional Airport Professionals. The center focused on partnering with professional international aerodrome/aviation organizations to bring critical and valuable training opportunities to aerodrome/aviation professionals throughout our region.

October 2019
GIAA Partners with Airports Council International (ACI) Global Training
The Antonio B. Won Pat International Airport Authority, Guam (GIAA) partners with esteemed Airports Council International (ACI) Global Training, the world's leading provider of airport management and operations education; offering executive leadership, professional accreditation, subject-matter competency and personalized in-house training courses, as well as a wide range of web-based coursework. Four (4) separate training courses were scheduled for 2020: Safety Management Systems for Executive Managers (13-15 JAN); GSN 1 - Safety Management Systems (02-06 MAR); GSN 2 - Airside Safety & Operations (03-07 AUG); and GSN 3 - Emergency Planning & Crisis Management (14-18 DEC).

November 2019
GIAA Issued and Sold $37M Bonds, Secured $18.4M Cash Flow Relief for Capital Improvement Projects
GIAA successfully sold $37.0 million in refunding bonds resulting in debt service savings of approximately 2.5%. In addition, the successful refunding resulted in cash flow relief of $18.4 million in fiscal years 2020 and 2021. The debt service savings and cash flow relief achieved with the refunding paved the way for GIAA to move forward with various capital improvement projects that will enhance service, safety and security at the Airport. Assures GIAA's ability to provide local match/share for FAA Airport Improvement Project (AIP) Grants, which could amount to as much as $100M.