Fears have been voiced that Bahamian residents could be placed “under an economic lockdown” through the imposition of new and increased fees to pay for Family Island airport redevelopments.
Adrian White, the Opposition MP for St Anne’s, asked “where’s the sky” as he urged the Government to establish a policy limit on how much Bahamian residents can be charged by private operators of these airports to help repay lenders and earn a return on their investments.
Citing the fees implemented on July 1, 2024, by the Bimini Airport Development Partners (BADP) consortium that will lead the $80m transformation of that island’s airport, he argued that the combination of passenger facility and processing fees plus a $1 levy means that Biminites will have to pay an extra $51 every time they wish to travel by air outside The Bahamas.
And, based on the latest fees schedule that has been seen by Tribune Business, these combined fees are set to increase to $58 per person with effect from January 1, 2025. Mr White branded the fees for the first six months as “killing me softly”, and argued that the January 1, 2025, rises represent the “just killing me stage” as he queried whether Bimini’s airport needs could have been addressed for under $80m.
Dr Kenneth Romer, the Government’s director of aviation, last week defended the fee increases at airports such as Bimini as “the price of development” and argued that the Government had undertaken a study to ensure they were competitive with other destinations. He also said the Government and private operators will listen to residents’ concerns and make adjustments if necessary.
Click here to view original web page at MP on Out Island airport fees: ‘Where’s the sky?’
