The Tribune

By LEANDRA ROLLE

Tribune Staff Reporter

lrolle@tribunemedia.net

THE Davis administration is in the final stages of selecting “a provider” for the redevelopment of the Grand Bahama International Airport, according to Tourism, Investments and Aviation Minister Chester Cooper.

Mr Cooper gave the update while responding to criticism that the government’s failure to adequately address the airport was the reason why the sale of the Grand Lucayan resort was not successful.

“I have listened intently to a lot of people speculating. I have listened intently to many members of the former board speaking to matters in which they had no information,” he said yesterday.

“Let me just say that we have laid out the circumstances as it relates to the Grand Lucayan. Suffice to say, that we are in the final stages of selecting a provider for the rebuilding of the Grand Bahama airport, so I am not going to get into a back and forth with persons who had a mandate to sell the property and didn’t do so. They must give account for their stewardship. We will give account for ours.”

Plans for the redevelopment of the airport were announced after the facility suffered extensive damage caused by Hurricane Dorian in September 2019.

Before Dorian, the airport was privately owned and operated by the Freeport Harbour Company, which is part of Hutchison Port Holdings of the Hutchison Whampoa Group.

However, under the Minnis administration, the government purchased it in April 2021 for $1, with plans to redevelop the airport under a PPP.

It also paid-out around $1m as its 50 percent share of the redundancy pay and associated benefits received by GBIA staff.

Since assuming office last year, the Davis administration has looked at several potential investors for the redevelopment of the airport and the list has since been narrowed down to two, with an investor set to be selected soon.

As it relates to the Grand Lucayan resort, Mr Cooper had previously said the government was seeking an alternative purchaser after the resort’s $100m sale to Electra America Hospitality Ltd collapsed.

Explaining the reason for the collapse, he told reporters last week that the government had grown tired of the proposed buyer constantly stalling over the deal by repeatedly asking for due diligence extensions.

“We will do what’s in the best interest of the Bahamian people,” the deputy prime minister added yesterday. “We will do what’s in the best interest of Grand Bahama and suffice to say as we have laid out before, we are pressing forward and I am confident that we will be able to do a transaction or a pivot as it relates to the Grand Lucayan resorts that’s going to be in the best interest of the people.”