The Tribune

By NEIL HARTNELL

Tribune Business Editor

nhartnell@tribunemedia.net

The Bahamas’ major airport gateway yesterday said it expects passenger numbers for the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday weekend to meet or exceed pre-COVID’s 30,000-plus record.

The Nassau Airport Development Company (NAD), in a statement, said all key stakeholders at Lynden Pindling International Airport (LPIA) are preparing for what is expected to be a hectic Thanksgiving and Christmas/New Year travel period.

Thanksgiving passenger projections indicate that between Thursday, November 23, and Sunday, November 26, some 30,000- 33,000 travellers will move through LPIA. These numbers are expected to top 2022 figures, when 30,022 passengers were recorded, and meet or exceed record-breaking 2019 levels when passenger numbers reached 30,192 for the same period.

Beginning in early November, executives from NAD, Bahamas Immigration, Bahamas Customs, the Airport Authority, US Customs & Border Protection (USCBP), Air Traffic Services (ATS), airline operators, the airport police and the Road Traffic Department held meetings to review contingency plans put in place to meet the demand.

“Heading into this peak travel period, we’re pleased to see our numbers close to and, in some cases, surpassing pre-pandemic levels across all sectors,” said Vernice Walkine, NAD’s president and chief executive.

“Over the next two months, our focus as an airport community will be to ensure that our facilities are functioning at the level required to manage the uptick in traffic. All of our critical stakeholders have worked together to handle similar peaks in the past, and we anticipate doing the same throughout this period.”

To better manage passenger flow, LPIA stakeholders are paying special attention to wait times and staffing levels in pre-security clearance areas, US Customs, Bahamas Immigration and Bahamas Customs during the peak travel periods of 11am to 3 pm. Air Traffic Services has also advised it is ready to manage commercial and general aviation arrivals and departures on the airside.

More than 80 percent of LPIA’s passenger traffic originates from the US market, and most of this weekend’s total passenger count will be attributed to US departures. Usha Pitts, chargé d’affaires at the US embassy in Nassau, said the US Customs and Border Protection team based at LPIA is working closely with airport stakeholders to ensure a successful peak holiday travel season.

The Chargé urges “Americans to download and use the CBP’s Mobile Passport Control (MPC) app to reduce their time at passport inspection. TSA pre-check is also available for Americans to consider when looking for ways to expedite their airport processing”.

Airport officials are also encouraging US-bound passengers to arrive at LPIA no less than three hours ahead of their scheduled flights, and international and domestic travellers to arrive two hours prior to their departure times.

Where possible, NAD said LPIA passengers should use technology to improve their overall user experience while in terminal. In addition to the MPC app available to US and Canadian passengers being processed in US pre-clearance, all LPIA passengers can download the AeroCloud app to track flights in real time or contact their airlines directly for flight updates. For operational updates from LPIA, visit www.nassaulpia.com or follow @nassau_airport.