Nassau Airport Development Company (NAD) issued a press statement yesterday, stating that discontinuation in operations at the Lynden Pindling International Airport (LPIA) is not expected until later Friday evening.
Responding to a The Bahama Journal reporter’s call for information on the port’s preparedness, NAD issued a statement stating that in the event Hurricane Irma stays on its current path operations at LPIA will be minimal.
“With Hurricane Irma threatening, NAD held an airport community meeting today, September 5 at 10:30 a.m., to have the benefit of the latest forecast track information,” the statement read.
“The conclusion based on the Met Department’s forecast: ‘On its current forecasted track and given its size, New Providence should start feeling the impacts of Hurricane Irma as early as Friday evening.
“The time and date are subject to change based upon the change in forward speed of the storm.”
The statement further revealed that the company, which held its first hurricane preparedness meeting with LPIA staff in May of this year, to review the 2017 Atlantic Hurricane Season projections, lessons learned from Matthew, and any updates to each agency’s Standard Operating Procedures for hurricanes, said they do not much anticipate disruption in operations.
“If the storm remains on the current track (still subject to change), New Providence may experience tropical storm force winds,” the statement said.
“However, we are unable to provide more definitive information at this time, as the cone of uncertainty remains large over the Northwest Bahamas and Florida.
“We do not anticipate a cessation in airport operations until Friday evening, with a potential resumption in business Saturday evening, depending on the aftermath of the storm.”
“NAD has activated its hurricane response plan and will continue to closely monitor the hurricane, and will meet with all stakeholders as required,” it said.
The statement revealed that a more defined decision will be made based on new updates about the storm from the MET Department.
