The Tribune

By NATARIO McKENZIE

Tribune Business Reporter

nmckenzie@tribunemedia.net

PRELIMINARY figures show passenger traffic was down at the Lynden Pindling International Airport (LPIA) over the US Memorial Day Weekend, with international arrivals down 11 per cent over the same period last year.

According to figures provided by the Nassau Airport Development Company (NAD), during the 2012 US Memorial Day weekend, international arrivals stood at 17,092.

But preliminary figures this year show that international arrivals were down 10.8 per cent to 15,237. US departures were also down 6 per cent, from 15,342 to 14,408.

Shonalee Johnson, NAD’s communications manager, said officials were now preparing for the peak travelling period.

“This is when we start to get into our peak as we move toward the summer period and get into more of the US holidays. June is typically a much busier month for us,” said Mrs Johnson.

She added that work on the airport’s final expansion phase was progressing well.

NAD signed a 30-year lease with the Government in April 2007 to manage daily operations at LPIA, and is responsible for most of the physical infrastructure, including parking lots, terminals, runways and taxiways.

Construction on stage III of LPIA – the final stage of the $409.5 million expansion project – is currently underway. Stage III calls for the construction of the domestic and international check-in hall and domestic arrival facility, and is set for completion this fall.