The Tribune

BY FAY SIMMONS

TRIBUNE Business Reporter

jsimmons@tribunemedia.net

MORE than a year after Silver Airways’ demise, the unresolved airlift gap is still taking a toll on some of the country’s out islands, with Abaco and Bimini bearing the brunt of the lost connectivity.

Kerry Fountain, executive director of the Bahamas Out Island Promotion Board, said the sector has yet to replace the seats lost when the carrier ceased operations last year, leaving some islands struggling to regain ground despite signs of improvement in the middle of the year.

“What seems to be holding us back is we still have not been able to replace the seat loss that we experienced when Silver Airways pulled out of the marketplace out of Fort Lauderdale last year,” said Mr Fountain.

“The two islands that have been impacted the most are Abaco and Bimini, and not just, by the way, not just in terms of air stopovers, but Abaco and Bimini were also impacted by sea stopovers.”

Mr Fountain said the out-island tourism sector had a negative performance through the first five months of the year, with the airlift shortage contributing to the weak numbers.

“We were showing negative numbers for the first five months of the year, and in June, for the first time, our room revenue numbers, as well as our room night sold numbers, were up in June for the first time,” he said.

June provided a first sign of improvement, with room nights up 4 per cent, although Mr Fountain said he could not recall the precise increase in room revenue.

The improvement comes as the sector prepares for the traditionally slower fall period, and tourism operators anticipating the impact of back-to-school travel, the height of hurricane season and seasonal hotel closures.

Mr Fountain said the BOIPB is moving to stimulate demand through targeted promotions, beginning August 24 with a Florida resident offer providing a $250 booking incentive for stays of three nights.

A second $250 air credit will be introduced on September 14 and will extend beyond Florida residents to US and Canadian citizens.

“So that is what we’re doing to try to stimulate business for the fall,” said Mr Fountain.

At the same time, the BOIPB is continuing to work with the Ministry of Tourism’s airlift development team to find a replacement for the capacity lost with Silver Airways.

“We are working feverishly with the Ministry of Tourism’s airlift development team to replace the loss that we’ve had with Silver experienced by Silver, but there’s nothing firm that we can share at this time,” said Mr Fountain.

The airlift shortfall follows Silver Airways’ abrupt collapse last year, when the carrier ceased operations on June 11 after filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in Florida. Tourism officials subsequently said the airline’s withdrawal had contributed to a decline in air arrivals, with Silver having been projected to bring about 80,000 passengers to the Bahamas between June and December 2025, a significant contribution to Family Island traffic.

Tourism officials said at the time that some of Silver’s lost seats had been filled by other carriers, while smaller operators including Makers Air and Tropic Ocean Airways stepped in to help mitigate the disruption.

The continuing gap comes despite additional connectivity being added to some markets. The Ministry of Tourism announced new American Airlines nonstop service between Miami and Bimini beginning in February 2026, while current schedules also show Fort Lauderdale service to Bimini from Aztec Airways and Tropic Ocean Airways.