The Tribune

• Operator: Three-year strategic plan targets ‘realistic’

• Eyes 35% increase in Family Island air arrival share

• Aviation director pledges ‘regional hub’ for training

By NEIL HARTNELL

Tribune Business Editor

nhartnell@tribunemedia.net

The Government’s ambition to increase stopover tourist arrivals “by a minimum” 15 percent per annum via the National Aviation Strategic Plan was yesterday hailed as “a noble objective” by sector participants.

Anthony Hamilton, Southern Air’s director of administration, and president of the Bahamas Association of Air Transport Operators, told Tribune Business that the goals set out in the three-year aviation industry strategy document are “reasonable projections to be pursued” and will help both Government and the private sector measure their progress.

He spoke after Dr Kenneth Romer, The Bahamas’ aviation director and deputy director-general of tourism, provided more details on the National Aviation Strategic Plan 2023-2026 at last week’s Bahamas Hotel and Tourism Association (BHTA) Board of Directors meeting.

Increased airlift and improved connectivity among The Bahamas’ multiple island destinations are identified as key objectives in the plan, which pledges to “develop a strategy to increase the number of international air carriers and stopover arrivals by a minimum annual increment of 15 percent”.

Other targets are to “increase the market share percentage of international stopover arrivals to the Family Islands by 35 percent”, and also “increase overall airline seat capacity by 5 percent annually”. The involvement of private aviation and fixed base operations (FBOs) is cited as another critical components, along with ambitions to expand airlift by seaplanes and helicopters and the development “of a comprehensive air cargo plan” to move goods within and outside The Bahamas.

While many will likely view these goals as lofty and aspirational, Mr Hamilton told this newspaper: “I would say they are realistic knowing some things have exceeded expectations and projections. The industry is seemingly coming back strongly on the heels of Dorian and COVID. They’re reasonable projections to be pursued and we need some sort of measuring stick to assess the progress being made.

“They are noble projections. We all need a yardstick to work towards. We plan, we organise, we implement, and we must establish if those targets are being met. It puts us in a position over time to make the necessary evaluation to determine what gaps exist and what adjustments need to be made to mitigate failure and enhance success.”

Mr Hamilton said he and others in the Bahamian aviation have long been calling for a strategic plan to be developed to grow an industry that is vital to tourism’s success for, without the airlift it helps to provide, there would be no means to distribute stopover visitors around this nation to the Family Islands.

“It is long overdue,” he argued of the initiative. “Compared to what went before that, this is a more comprehensive approach. It is an upgrade to the process, particularly as most of us have been advocating for a national plan for Bahamian aviation. This government is now speaking about re-engaging the National Development Plan 2040 and aviation ought to figure prominently as that comes on stream. We can dovetail into that.

“It’s a step in the right direction to ownership of the industry. I would agree with you that we have not maximised the potential of it. Cost is a major thing in the sector, but safety is paramount. If we have a sector functioning so we can balance cost and not compromise safety, that’s the ideal environment to operate in.”

Mr Hamilton confirmed that there had been consultation with private aviation stakeholders, including himself, over the past year on the plan’s development. He added that several committees were now being formed, and populated, as the Government and Department of Aviation sought to move the initiative forward into the execution and implementation stage.

He added that it was critical that The Bahamas attract the next generation of aviation professionals “who aspire to leadership in the sector. We need to make sure that the environment and atmosphere is extremely conducive for that to happen. Without a shadow of a doubt we know that human capital is the greatest asset of a nation”.

Dr Romer, in last week providing greater detail on the National Aviation Strategic Plan’s core themes, promised that this nation will launch the Bahamas Aeronautical Training Institute/Academy to develop a cadre of aviation professionals capable of advancing the sector.

“We do know that to increase competitiveness, minimise risk and optimise human capabilities, human capital will ensure the optimisation of human talent,” Dr Romer added. “We’re going to go after talent acquisition, we’re going to go after human capital, we’re going to go hard after training and development, and how do we efficiently and effectively manage strategic things, digital literacy and data management.

“We are very pleased to be launching the first-ever Bahamas Aeronautical Academy and we will ensure the technical, professional and personal development of team members in the aviation ecosystem. We have partnered with IATA (International Air Transport Association), ICAO (International Civil Aviation Organisation), Qatar Civil Aviation Authority, and have many others running after us wanting to be a part of it.

“The Bahamas will be a regional hub when it comes to developing human capital in the region.... The next generation of aviation, how do we attract them, train them up so we are meeting and bridging the critical talent gap that exists in the aviation ecosystem?”

Dr Romer said the proposed collective $260m upgrades to 14 Family Island airports is part of a wider goal to “standardise” the facilities and services they offer. “Otherwise we run the risk of bringing stopover arrivals to see a bad show,” he warned. “This just does not bode well for the industry.

“We want to standardise services and facilities as part of the Family Island airports so that we are not just putting our hand in the bag and hoping we are picking the right candy. The experience has to be consistent at all the Family Island airports in the first instance. There are a lot of consistent reports where the service standards are at different levels at our Family Island airports.”

Dr Romer added that these stopover visitor gateways are critical to The Bahamas’ ability to promote the concept of “multi-destination vacations where they come into Nassau/Paradise Island and then spend a day or two or three in Long Island or go to North Eleuthera and Harbour Island”.

Affirming that aviation industry stakeholders have had input into the National Aviation Strategic Plan, and been widely consulted, he said: “We want to ensure that this is not an isolated programme or strategy that dies on arrival.”