The Tribune

IN an exclusive interview with The Tribune, Bahamas Aviation, Climate & Severe Weather Network’s President & CEO, Lyrone Burrows, with renowned US Aviation, Climate & Severe Weather Scientist, Professor Roelof Bruintjes, PhD, provided insight into how US National Centre for Atmospheric Research (NCAR), National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration (NOAA); Aviation Weather Centre and Johns Hopkins plan to help bring Prime Minister Philip Davis’ aviation, carbon credits and health legacy to fruition.

“It’s a pleasure to have scientists of such calibre like Professor Bruintjes visiting us once again,” said Mr Burrows. “I feel confident, based on a deepening of the relationships we’ve had in various meetings with government agencies and other stakeholders, that such efforts will yield untold benefits for the Commonwealth of The Bahamas and its people.”

Echoing such sentiments, Dr Bruintjes shared that he was drawn to work with the company after seeing their presentation at a weather conference in Kingston, Jamaica last year in March.

Having worked in 120 nations during an illustrious tenure spanning 34 years, Dr Bruintjes said: “I know the company’s founder has endured his fair share of doubters; but the applications being considered by virtue of the Memorandum of Understanding with NCAR and NOAA will be revolutionary. In fact, they’ll be the ‘First-in-the-World'."

“BACSWN’s real-time visualisations will transform how weather is visualised,” added Dr Bruintjes. “Bringing such intellectual property together with those of the US National Centre for Atmospheric Research (NCAR), National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration (NOAA); and Aviation Weather Centre together will result in unique creations that have never been envisioned and, in most cases, far surpass those of industrialised nations.”

“As Director Basden can attest, there has been tremendous interest from other nations,” explained Dr Bruintjes before Dr Trevor Basden chimed in with a big smile: “All of my fellow meteorologists throughout the Caribbean are praying The Bahamas passes on the opportunity so they can rollout such an ‘avant garde’ system in their own nations.

“However, the vision was conceived by a Bahamian whose family’s legacy is one of service to your nation. As such, we are committed to helping the government secure its sole, sovereign right to hundreds of millions of dollars in 'overflight fees' per annum — not just what’s currently being charged — so the nation, like 186 other countries, can resolve the dilapidated conditions of its outdated aviation and health sector infrastructure."

“While the challenges mentioned present major shortcomings for a nation whose economy is tourism focused,” warned Dr Bruintjes, “there are a number of external factors which must, and can be addressed, by the entities BACSWN has assembled to assist the government.”

He said that first and foremost: “I am unaware of any other circumstances where ICAO has allowed Flight Information Regions (FIR) of other nations to encroach upon another nation’s territory to the extent that The Bahamas doesn’t appear on any aviation map. (US controls the top two-thirds (2/3) while Cuba controls the bottom one-third) The Bahamas must gain control of the airspace above its sovereign archipelagic baselines, territorial seas, contiguous and total economic exclusion zone,” explained Dr Bruintjes.

Second, he added: "The cost of any aviation or designated health centre infrastructure improvements should not be placed on the backs of Bahamian taxpayers. We faced the same issue three years ago in Africa. Airlines were jumping up and down protesting about the state of some of that continents’ infrastructure."

“We used a similar infrastructure plan as the one BACSWN has developed - which delegations from NCAR, NOAA and Aviation Weather Centre will audit and certify over the coming weeks for the Bahamas government,” he added. “Once such requirements are met, airlines are required to pay for the levy’s imposed to assist with the safe, expeditious and reliable use of each and every flight using Bahamian sovereign airspace.

"Third," Dr Bruintjes continued: "while such challenges have no impact upon BACSWN’s ability to restart its consultations with the airlines vis a vis the standing-up and staffing a NextGEN Meteorological Watch Office, it does affect the government’s ability to collect its sole right to such revenue as it is a key, unavoidable prerequisite for being able to lawfully charge overflight fees under the Chicago Convention.”