By YOURI KEMP
Tribune Business Reporter
Grand Bahama International Airport missed the November 15 target date to re-open to international flights because it is still waiting for US regulatory approval, a Cabinet minister confirmed yesterday.
Senator Kwasi Thompson, minister of state for Grand Bahama, told Tribune Business that the airport needed to obtain the go-ahead from the US Transportation Security Administration (TSA) before such services can resume.
“The airport construction on the temporary facility is proceeding as we speak,” he said. “The team is on the ground now. The Grand Bahama Airport Company has informed us that once the construction is completed the Transportation Security Administration will have to give its approval. When the TSA gives their approval, then it will be ready to open.
“We have been informed by Bahamasair officials that their facility has been inspected, but they are also waiting on TSA approval. Once Bahamasair gets the approval then they will start their international flights to Florida.
“They are still completing their renovations and the TSA will give their inspections. We have been reliably told that Bahamasair, Silver Airways and American Airlines will commence once the TSA has completed its inspection.
The restoration of international airlift is vital to restoring Grand Bahama’s economy to some semblance of health, both its tourism industry as well as the industrials sector and other businesses. The latest airport delays came as the Grand Bahama Chamber of Commerce’s president, Gregory LaRoda, agreed that the Government should “do what’s necessary” to buy the facility.
He told Tribune Business: “They are still working on the airport. I was at a National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) meeting yesterday morning and was told that everything is supposed to ready for yesterday for the airport being ready to accept international flights, but when will those flights be scheduled is another thing.”
The Grand Bahama Port Authority GBPA, the airport’s 50 percent owner, had previously set November 15 as the date for the airport to be ready to accept international flights, but that has been missed.
Tribune Business was previously told by Pelican Bay’s general manager, Magnus Alnebeck, that American Airlines had cancelled all flights to Grand Bahama from its Miami hub until December 18, but Mr Laroda was unable to confirm this.
Mr Thompson, meanwhile, conceded: “We are also hearing American Airlines have pushed their flights back into December, but what date I cannot say definitively. We are doing all we can, and that is Bahamasair, the airport company along with the Government, to bring on international flights to Grand Bahama. We know how important it is for international flights to commence.”
Mr LaRoda added: “What I would say now is that, in terms of the Chamber’s position, from as far back as a year ago we felt that the Government should do what is necessary to acquire the airport. The airport should not be privately run.
“We feel the Government should have discussions with the airport’s owners with a goal to acquire the airport and operate the airport on behalf of the Bahamian people. We need to control our economy.
“We can have a similar circumstance that the Government can own the airport and have someone hired to manage it similar to the Nassau Airport Development (NAD) company model at the Sir Lynden Pindling International airport. The Grand Bahama airport is critical to the revival of our economy and the Bahamian people should be more in control of that.”
Comments
moncurcool 4 years, 12 months ago
This is a most confusing article. They are waiting of TSA approval for the airport to open, but yet, construction is still going on so when that is finished then they will have TSA inspect. So are you waiting on approval, or are you still in contraction and need to apply for approval?
The_Oracle 4 years, 12 months ago
TSA won't give approvals until the facility is ready. Obviously it wasn't ready.
TalRussell 4 years, 12 months ago
Want embarrass the Comrade Senator Kwasi, asks him how's Roscoe? Seems the politically appoint has a talking parrot at home, Roscoe, who he regularly bounces his best ideas off, yes,no ..
BMW 4 years, 12 months ago
When negotiating with the chinese on the purchase of GBIA remember the bought their share for $1.00.
Well_mudda_take_sic 4 years, 12 months ago
Someone should whisper into little Kwasi's ear that TSA approval means nothing without U.S. government approval of the 'pre-clearance facility'. And that key approval is not going to be coming anytime soon for a variety of very good reasons related to the national security interests of the U.S.
The Minnis-led FNM government was likely told by the U.S. government that no pre-clearance facility would be granted, renewed or reinstituted for any airport anywhere in the Bahamas in which Red China connected enterprises, like Hutchison Whampoa, have any kind of significant ownership, managing or otherwise controlling interest.
Well_mudda_take_sic 4 years, 12 months ago
P.S.:
This is probably the central reason why the Bahamian government has been boxed into its proposal to buy and rebuild the Grand Bahama International Airport. And we all know how our corrupt Minnis-led FNM government loves large heavily padded construction contracts.
The Symonette family's paving company stands to make a hefty fortune from the padded government contracts it would get to repave the aircraft runways, taxiways and aprons at the Grand Bahama and Marsh Harbour airports. Oh no, please say it ain't so!!!!
proudloudandfnm 4 years, 12 months ago
Our airports don't need to be paved though...
Where do you guys get your info? Sheesh....
truetruebahamian 4 years, 12 months ago
It Ain't so.
TheMadHatter 4 years, 12 months ago
That would be good if true. However it is simply false. If the U.S. government cared about China taking over the Bahamas, they would have canceled all of our visas the next day after Min of Works approved The Pointe project next to the already Chinese owned Hilton. Any Bahamian breeding today is simply making future slaves for the Chinese labour camp.
Socrates 4 years, 12 months ago
A friend told me preclearance has nothing to do with reopening for international flights. No CBP just means you clear in the USA. You need TSA approval for security reasons i was told so they know people and bags get checked ...
TalRussell 4 years, 12 months ago
The US will never be comfy Chinese economic influence over colony of Bahamaland. The Chinese like money - so does we colony's politicians!
Few colony's comrade popoulaces at-large starting 1950's ever did become aware role the US played in equipping our Lighthouses to be used during cold war as top secret Missile Bases.by the US government for tracking Russian missiles, yes, no ... Populaces at-large would be shocked by the degree US from the air surveillance inelegance provided to we government pre and post Hurricane Dorian ..... Every single telephone call originating from or to the colony are being recorded by US intelligence ...
proudloudandfnm 4 years, 12 months ago
This is Kwasi. Kwasi is ignorant. Don't listen to Kwasi....
The_Oracle 4 years, 12 months ago
The Government taking over the Airport has a number of benefits going for it, and there are probably 3 different approaches or mechanisms they could use, but they ain't smart enough to figure even one method out so I doubt it'll happen. It is the only answer, but the Government seldom has answers........
airlinewatcher 4 years, 11 months ago
Looks like American Airlines now pushed back it's start date for Miami to Freeport flights to 13 Feb 2020!
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