The Tribune

By NATARIO McKENZIE

Tribune Business Reporter

nmckenzie@tribunemedia.net

Family Island airport development is essential to the overall growth of the Bahamian economy, a local aviation consultant telling this newspaper: “Build it and they will come.”

Kevin Turnquest, Aviation Consultants’ president, told Tribune Business that airports, such as Deadman’s Cay in Long Island, possessed significant potential.

“Long Island is moving 60,000 passengers. That is obviously between tourists and local travellers,” he said.

“The Deadman’s Cay airport is the only one in the Bahamas that small, which is a non-port of entry, that is producing those numbers. In fact, it is an anomaly. It has more activity than the airports across Mayaguana, Inagua, Crooked Island and Acklins. I think it’s just been overlooked.”

His comments came in the wake of remarks by tourism executives at the Long Island Business Outlook conference earlier this month, during which they said air arrivals to the island had seen a steady but miniscule rise over the past decade.

Mr Turnquest said Long Island has two airports, Stella Maris in the north, and the Deadman’s Cay Airport located in the centre of the island, with both receiving approximately 3,000 tourists per year.

“The stopover visitors for central and aouth Long Island clear in Nassau, then proceed onward to Deadman’s Cay. Many, I am told, end up missing their connecting flights due to flight incompatibility and end up overnight in Nassau,” Mr Turnquest said.

“The low growth rate in stopover visitors to Long Island is indeed unacceptable in this day and age. The lack of growth in stopover visitors is due to the lack of international airlift. The lack of international airlift is a direct result of inadequate facilities.

“San Salvador and Exuma are success stories, with Club Med and Sandals, due in part to their runways, which are 7,000 and 8,000 feet respectively, and their modern terminal buildings designed to facilitate international arrivals.”

Mr Turnquest added: “Deadman’s Cay airport has a flooding issue due to inadequate drainage and some buildings which are to close to the runway, but these can all be resolved and there is sufficient space to extend the runway another 3,000 feet or so.

“The tiny little terminal building was built in the 1960’s, and the 4,000 feet runway is simply too short to accommodate the 34-seater turbo props currently flying from Florida, and regional jets or larger commercial jet traffic from the US, Canada or Europe.

“This problem is not just confined to Long Island. I understand both the IMF and IDB have advised that the development of the Family Island airports are essential to the overall growth of the tourism product and the economy of the Bahamas. The Government is aware of this. There are some 26 airports in the Family Islands and they all need attention. The Bahamas is an archipelago. The country has limited resources.

“My understanding is the Government has entered in Public-Private Partnership (PPP) agreements for the management of various airports including Bimini, Eleuthera, Abaco and Exuma, and also a PPP for the design and building of a new airport at New Bight, Cat Island. Hopefully this will be used as a template when completed for other airports.”

Mr Turnquest said that despite its shortcomings, the Deadman’s Cay airport is in the ‘top 10’ in the Bahamas for domestic travel, and facilitates more passengers than all seven airports located in Rum Cay, Ragged Island, Mayaguana, Inagua and Arthur’s Town annually combined.

“The only reason that the other destinations, like Exuma, have an anchor project is because of the airport,” he added. “The airport in San Salvador was out there specifically to accommodate Club Med. In the case of Exuma, Exuma International was in existence prior to Sandals, but if there was no Exuma International there would be no Sandals because of direct flights from the US mainland, for instance.

“It’s a proven fact that the most successful touristic destinations in the Bahamas are those with the airport capabilities. Those seem to go together. If you look at the IMF/IDB studies they seem to suggest that the development of the Family Island airport is absolutely essential to the overall growth of the economy.

“I don’t think that is something that is lost on the Government. I think the Government understands that, but it boils down to economics. I believe considerations is going to be given to Deadman’s Cay, and they are going to be looking at it in earnest. It is absolutely essential to have the airport. You can’t do it the other way around. Build it and they will come.”