Four Bermudians are preparing to take over top posts at the Airport.

Transport Minister Mr. Wayne Furbert announced that Ms Delia Trott, Mr.

Richard Evans, Mr. Lester Nelson, and Mr. Marshall Minors will become part of the senior management team at the Airport when staff from the Vancouver International Airport Authority complete their contract.

Mr. Furbert made the announcement at a Press conference on Friday, after delivering a report in the House on the progress of Bermudianisation at the Airport.

Since Government took over the Airport from the US five months ago, it has made significant strides toward setting the stage for full Bermudianisation of the senior management team, Mr. Furbert said.

Ms Trott -- a former accountant with The Royal Gazette -- will join the management team on December 1 to understudy as the Airport's financial comptroller.

She will become responsible for the Airport's accounting, operational budgets and the financial management of Airport capital.

Mr. Evans joined the team as terminal manager last week. He is responsible for managing the Airport terminal buildings, including those used for processing passengers, baggage cargo and mail.

He will also deal with the leases granted to retail operations within the terminal, marketing the airport's commercial opportunities, and ground transportation.

Last month, Mr. Nelson -- as the understudy of air operations manager Mr. John Williams -- began taking on the responsibility of managing airside facilities, including airside safety and security, use of airside facilities by aircraft such as refuelling and baggage handling; air traffic control, weather services, electronics maintenance, aeronautical information, crash/fire rescue and all airside safety and security.

And Mr. Minors -- who enjoyed a long and successful career in Works and Engineering -- joined the Airport Operations department in September as manager of maintenance and engineering.

He is responsible for Airport buildings and the infrastructure, including the runways, taxiways and navigational systems.

"I am extremely proud of the outstanding Bermudian talent which we have been able to attract, as represented by these young people in our management team,'' Mr. Furbert told the Press.

"In the coming months they will receive training at the International Aviation Management Training Institute in Canada, at other airports and on the job under the guidance of the contract managers now in place.'' Mr. Furbert pointed out that Government was also making progress in employing Bermudians in other airport operations.

Twenty Bermudians employed in the crash/fire rescue unit recently completed two-week sessions of live fire training with the Canadian Forces Fire Academy at Camp Borden in Ontario as part of their certification as airport firefighters, he said.

"We anticipate that we will have a fully certified Bermudian crash/fire rescue force by June 1,'' Mr. Furbert added. "That transition has already moved ahead with the departure last week of six of 18 expatriate firefighters who took short-term contracts to help Bermuda through the base transition.'' Contracts for the remaining non-Bermudian workers were to be phased out by June 1, next year, he said, when Government expected to have a fully-certified, 23-strong Bermudian crash/fire rescue force.

Five Bermudians had also completed air traffic control training at Bailbrook College in England and were in the midst of on-the-job training at the Airport, Mr. Furbert also pointed out.

"If they continue to perform successfully, they will be licensed as air traffic controllers by the end of the year,'' he added. "These five Bermudians, plus two spouses of Bermudians already working as fully-certified air traffic controllers, will form the air traffic control team at the airport.'' Three Bermudians were also undergoing on-the-job training in the ground electronics area.

Mr. Furbert said five Bermudians were also working as weather observers and another Bermudian (woman) had just begun training.

"It is anticipated that she will be fully qualified in January by which time we will have enough people in place for a fully-Bermudian weather observer section,'' he said.

But he added that there had been no such success in securing Bermudian meteorologists.

He noted that the University of Miami had rejected enrolment applications from two Bermudians who were interested in training as meteorologists. And another Bermudian decided not to participate in the programme for personal reasons.

"As a result, we are left without any Bermudian for this important task,'' Mr. Furbert said. "Our only option is to once again beat the bushes for more candidates with the right academic credentials. We are looking for Bermudians who have science degrees with an emphasis in mathematics and physics.'' Despite the set back in the meteorology area, he stressed that Government was committed to having skilled Bermudians in every aspect of the Airport.

"That is because we believe this new world of aviation, which opened up to us with the return of the military base lands, offers exciting challenges for Bermudians who want to seize real opportunities and contribute to the making of a better Bermuda,'' Mr. Furbert said.

And Mr. Minors, speaking on behalf of the new Bermudian management team, said: "We all look forward to taking over our airport and bringing it up to a jewel that we can all be proud of.'' AIRPORT PIONEERS -- Transport and Aviation Services Minister Mr. Wayne Furbert, seated, recently introduced four Bermudians who will become part of the Airport's senior management team. Pictured, from left, are terminal manager Mr. Richard Evans, financial comptroller understudy Ms Delia Trott, air operations manager understudy Mr. Lester Nelson, and Airport Operations maintenance and engineering manager Mr. Marshall Minors.