The Tribune

By NATARIO McKENZIE

Tribune Business Reporter

nmckenzie@tribunemedia.net

A LEADING Bahamian airline executive said yesterday that Bahamasair should be used as the tool to help build the country’s tourism industry, arguing that a lack of accountability and political interference has prohibited this and made the airline a “burden on the backs of the Bahamian people”.

SkyBahamas chief executive Randy Butler said that the government must be accountable and demonstrate that it has a clear vision for the aviation sector in the country.

“The lack of a plan to succeed is a plan to fail,” Mr Butler said. “This is typical of the role the government has chosen for Bahamasair. Instead of Bahamasair being the tool or the vehicle to build up our tourism industry they have chosen to go and kill the industry that other private airlines have built over the years and other private airlines have provided thousands of jobs in.

“We have provided support to the government during hurricanes and other critical times when Bahamasair could not. I think it’s a mandate to the government to really get on and show whether they are really for Bahamians.

“Bahamasair continues to be a burden on the backs of Bahamian people because the politicians continue to get involved because of the lack of accountability. The airline must fly at the cost of the Bahamian people. The government needs to be accountable and we need to decide what we want to do. The lack of a strategic plan specifically for this industry is hurting us,” he added.

Minister of Works Philip ‘Brave’ Davis said that the airline is “making good steps toward profitability” during a recent ceremony at which Bahamasair unveiled its new executive management team.

“Our strategic plan for Bahamasair is now addressing a restructuring of the domestic routes and the potential of outsourcing low density routes to reduce the airline’s losses,” Mr Davis said. “As well, Bahamasair is exploring expansion of the international routes to open up new markets to service our tourist economy. Expansion of routes into the West Coast of the United States and Canada is being explored along with more direct flights between the Family Islands and Florida.”

Mr Butler contended that local carriers are already servicing domestic routes. “The routes do not belong to Bahamasair; they belong to the government and the people of the Bahamas. Anyone can apply to go anywhere. You don’t need Bahamasair’s approval.

“I don’t think the government is really looking to the future, only looking right in front of them. We have to look at how we are going to develop our own industry and not depend on foreign airlines, who we have to pay to come here. If there is no demand people aren’t coming.

“We have the information from tourism saying where people are coming from or want to come. Use that information to put those airplanes in the sky. Go into these foreign destinations and bring those people into the Bahamas along with other Bahamian and foreign carriers,” said Mr Butler.