The Solidarity Genes of Varadero Airport.
The airport’s fleet covers the route between Peñas Altas Park and the Faustino Pérez Provincial Hospital, and vice versa. «Since the option was implemented in February, we have always been there, fulfilling that mandate, which has become part of our work,» explains García Manso.
Anisio López is one of the many people grateful for the gesture of the Juan Gualberto Gómez International Airport in Varadero, which every Monday puts its resources at the service of solidarity transportation, an alternative approved by the government in Matanzas in response to the significant problems in ensuring the population’s mobility.
The measure, approved in 2023, was reinstated in February of this year with a well-designed system that mandates all entities in the province, both private and public, to support this essential service by assigning specific days and routes to cover key times.
As is customary, the staff of the country’s second most important airport took the mission very seriously. «It is an act of pure solidarity with our people, who deserve all good things,» José Antonio García Manso, general director of the Juan Gualberto Gómez International Airport business unit, has said on several occasions.
Rain or shine, the airport shuttles are always there. They never fail, says nurse Juana Hernández, who has ridden in both cars and vans. The best part, she emphasizes, is the drivers’ kindness; you can tell they’re doing it from the heart. They’re truly very kind.
The airport’s fleet covers the route between Peñas Altas Park and the Faustino Pérez Provincial Hospital, and vice versa. Since the service was implemented in February, we’ve always been there, fulfilling this mandate, which has become an integral part of our work, explains García Manso.
The acquisition of two minibuses, the so-called «panel vans,» and electric cars has put the airport in a better position to provide this service, as it’s no longer dependent on fuel, which has become so unreliable lately, unlike other entities.
Having this equipment allowed us to design a transportation method to cover the morning schedule, exactly from 7:30 am until noon, a time in which we have managed to transport about 600 people.
To fulfill this purpose without any obstacles, we made sure to load the vehicles over the weekend so they could perform at their best and guarantee the viability of this task, which, I reiterate, the residents of Matanzas greatly appreciate, especially on Mondays, busy days with people trying to get to the Faustino Pérez Hospital, to work, to school.
García Manso reiterates the satisfaction felt by the team he leads for such a noble undertaking, a testament to the greatness of a country like this, humane by nature, and further evidence of the social responsibility that should characterize the socialist state-owned enterprise, destined to continue playing a leading role in the development and well-being of the nation.
Although more widespread now, the airport terminal had been implementing this so-called solidarity transport service for some time. We had already offered our resources to the children of the Regalito de Maya community, our neighboring community, to ensure they could get to school after the city bus broke down. We became aware of this and immediately set about providing support.
No one should be surprised by this stance from Juan Gualberto Gómez Airport. «If you want a mission to succeed, count on them,» Osmar Ramírez, general secretary of the Cuban Workers’ Federation in Matanzas province, has said on several occasions.
The noble spirit of the men and women at the airport was also recognized by the national leadership of the Committees for the Defense of the Revolution, which awarded them the Neighborhood Prize, a distinction that honors efficiency indicators and results specific to that organization.
According to Eduardo Rodríguez Dávila, Minister of Transportation, since airports generate revenue for the country, they can also become agents of positive change in their communities. «That is the case of Juan Gualberto Gómez International Airport, which is soaring toward the future.»
Vanguardia Nacional for several consecutive years, the airfield founded on September 25th, 1989 by Fidel Castro Ruz, since then, was born with solidarity in its genes.
Photo: Taken from the Facebook page of the Juan Gualberto Gómez airport.
Written by Eva Luna Acosta Armiñán.
