The Ministry of Tourism and Bahamasair are seeking to improve airlift in the country via their partnership with the Latin American and Caribbean Air Transport Association (ALTA). Minister of Transport and Aviation Glenys Hanna Martin attended the opening ceremony of the 11th Annual Airline Leaders Forum at the Atlantis yesterday and expressed concerns regarding the improvement of air transportation and her appreciation for the organisation’s assistance in revamping air transport infrastructure.
“In terms of stepping up to the challenge to develop infrastructure, The Government of The Bahamas has invested $400 million in the newly completed Lynden Pindling International Airport,” the minister said.
“At present, however, it (LPIA) is only handling half of its capacity. It has a US pre-clearance facility. We believe that there is an opportunity to partner with you to develop a Nassau hub. This speaks to a strategy of avoiding long delays at Miami International Airport while extending your route network to North American gateways more seamlessly, and perhaps, more cost effectively,” she added.
As chief executives of Latin American carriers and decision makers of aviation in Latin America and the Caribbean, Executive Director Eduardo Iglesias and President Andres Conesa hope to generate over 500 million passengers to the region over the next 20 years and mentioned that the two-day forum will provide best practices that can be used to improve infrastructure. The leaders of ALTA also hope to advance customs and the immigration process and implement more modern air traffic control systems.
Referring to their association with ALTA as “the ideal partnership,” Managing Director at Bahamasair Henry Woods said the airline and the country can benefit greatly from this partnership.
“Their suggestion is that maybe we will someday get to a common regulation, which will be easier to manage when it comes to the regulatory agencies. If you have a common regulation, it brings strength; unity brings strength,” Mr. Woods said.
Director of Airlift Development from the Ministry of Tourism Tyrone Sawyer also mentioned during the event’s press conference yesterday…that hosting the forum here in Nassau gives the Bahamas the opportunity to network with a number of CEO’s to increase airlift to the country.
