The Tribune

By FAY SIMMONS

Tribune Business Reporter

jsimmons@tribunemedia.net

A rival airline has warned Eleuthera business owners and residents that the future of Silver Airways is “not clear” and they should consider using other operators.

Speaking at the North Eleuthera Business Outlook, Stuart Hanley, founder and chief executive of Aztec Airways, said if Silver Airway - which has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in the US - was to cease operations it would have “quite an impact” on Family Island residents and visitors that depend on the airlift it offers.

“The future of Silver Airways is not clear right now, and they could come back or they could disappear. I can’t imagine an island in The Bahamas without air service, but if that carrier were to disappear, it could have quite an impact. So, you should all consider alternatives if Silver is your every day ride,” said Mr Hanley.

Wilfred S Mullings, Bahamsair’s deputy director for sales and marketing, said the national flag carrier is currently working on developing a route from Fort Lauderdale to North Eleuthera. He added that the direct service should begin later this year or early 2026 depending on when the additional aircrafts Bahamasair is sourcing arrives.

“My sales and marketing team is in the market right now, in Fort Lauderdale, looking at a direct service from Fort Lauderdale into North Eleuthera. If all goes well, we’re looking to start that later on in the year, or first thing in the new year,” said Mr Mullings.

“We are in the process of acquiring more equipment, and once we’re on time with that equipment, that’ll be a no brainer for Bahamasair to hop in and provide the service from North Eleuthera to Fort Lauderdale.”

Ricardo Wilson, general manager at Western Air, said the carrier has recently begun service into North Eleuthera after residents sent out a “clarion call” for addition airlift to the island.

“One of the things that we did is we did a market survey, and that in conjunction with the clarion call from the residents requesting more additional airlift. After our market study, we saw the feasibility in it and the need for it and so, on that strength, we decided to offer the service here,” said Mr Wilson.

Silver Airways announced in January its decision to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in Florida to “secure additional capital and undertake a financial restructuring”. In a statement, the airline said it voluntarily entered the Chapter 11 proceedings which were expected to be completed during the 2025 first quarter.

Silver Airways has regular direct flights from the US to Abaco, Eleuthera, Bimini, Exuma, Grand Bahama and New Providence, making the airline an important partner in ensuring airlift to the Family Islands. The airline maintained that during the proceedings all tickets will remain valid and operations will continue as usual. In March, some visitors were abruptly stranded in The Bahamas over a weekend when Silver Airlines was forced to cancel its Orlando services

Speaking on barriers to expanding operations in the country, Mr Wilson said operational costs are a major challenge. He explained that although Western Air is frequently called on to provide additional airlift to Family Island events, those trips also have high operational costs as they often have to make empty trips to collect another round of passengers.

“Operational costs have always been the driving force behind increases, from fuel prices to the vendors, to business license, to staffing, to parts,” said Mr Wilson.

“We see the calls from the public to add extra flights to different destinations when some major events are going on. Yes, we’d like to bring 500 people to your event, but that becomes a challenge to just pick up a plane and take 50 passengers there, don’t bring nobody back and we have to go back and pick them up again. So we operate that aircraft like that it’s an operating cost that we incur for staff, fuel etc.”

Mr Wilson suggested that the Government could provide some assistance to airlines to offset these costs and ensure there is sufficient airlift to facilitate the volume of visitors.

“I’m hoping that, one day, the Government would bring in some kind of assistance to help offset these costs. They want the islands to be successful with their events, they want people to come to their constituency, their island, to help boost the island. And we have no problem bringing them, but we certainly appreciate the help with the cost of getting them there,” said Mr Wilson.

Mr Hanley said among the biggest barriers to operating in The Bahamas are “fees, excessive fees and unreasonable fees”. He added: “It really comes down to three things. Our biggest challenges in The Bahamas, it’s fees, excessive fees and unreasonable fees.”