The implementation of a Flight Information Region (FIR) for The Bahamas to take control of its airspace would take two to three years once it is approved by the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), according to a recent document prepared by Transport and Aviation officials.
In the document, The Bahamas makes its case to ICAO to take control of its airspace from the United States and Cuba, an issue it says is a matter of sovereignty.
The airspace over Andros, which is presently under control of Cuba, and the airspace controlled by the United States throughout other regions of The Bahamas, would become the Bahamas FIR, the report said.
Minister of Transport and Aviation Glenys Hanna-Martin said recently that U.S. authorities are pushing for The Bahamas to be a part of a regional FIR.
The report pointed out that the U.S. Congress has recently approved legislation for the re-imposition by the Federal Aviation Administration of air navigation charges on flights over flying the U.S. domestic airspace, including The Bahamas.
The Bahamas government also views control of its airspace as an important way in which revenue could be beefed up.
ﾓThe new FIR will generate revenues in excess of US $30 million annually, ﾓ the report submitted to ICAO said. ﾓThe revenue stream will not only finance the capital costs of implementing the total project and pay for the yearly operations and maintenance budget of the Department of Civil Aviation, but will also be able to contribute to financing the development of Family Island aerodomes.ﾒ
The report also said the project will create significant directly related employment of 100 people in high technology areas of the economy and several times that number in additional support jobs.
With the appropriate arrangement with the Federal Aviation Administration, the Government of The Bahamas plans to expedite the creation of the FIR in order to facilitate the collection of user fees to support the development of the new Nassau Area Control Centre, according to the report.
It adds that the objective of the centre will be to provide en-route services within the new FIR and effect coordination with adjoining area control centres such as Havana, Port au Prince, Kingston and Miami.
The government is proposing that the entire operation of the new Nassau Air Control Centre and the Flight Information Region will be tested in air traffic control simulators with observers from airlines and other control centres invited to participate before becoming fully operational.
The report said the centre will be equipped with capabilities to offer controller training to other states in the region, providing another avenue to gain additional revenues.
The government has faced delays in its plans to implement an FIR, going as far as including expected revenue from the arrangement in the 2003-2004 budget.
Prime Minister Perry Christie has said that the new air traffic control system could collect up to $50 million, but he informed parliament in May that U.S. authorities ﾖ who had no objection in principle to the proposal ﾖ were concerned with the implications for homeland security.
The fact that the project did not proceed due to ﾓexternal complicationsﾒ reduced government revenue last year.
Minister Hanna-Martin said recently that the Bahamian application before ICAO is likely to face a new delay because of concerns on the part of U.S. authorities.
Candia Dames, The Bahama Journal
