By YOURI KEMP

Tribune Business Reporter

The government’s top aviation official yesterday said it was targeting December 16 as the date when Marsh Harbour’s airport will be ready to receive international flights from the US.

Algernon Cargill, director of aviation, told the Bahamas Out Islands Promotion Board’s annual general meeting that his department was now waiting on the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) to visit the Leonard A Thompson International Airport and give it regulatory clearance to begin accepting airlift.

“We have a meeting scheduled next Friday with the TSA,” he said. “This is the first public statement we are making about this. So TSA is coming to Abaco on next Friday, and we have gone through a litany of items they have asked us to correct in their initial visit. The plan is to have that airport reopened to international flights as of December 16.

“We don’t expect any hiccups in the TSA visit. While the other international airlines fly at their discretion, we don’t control that. But we know that we have created a market for Bahamasair, and starting by December 16 we will have international flights from Marsh Harbour to the United States.

“I think that is certainly worth implementing, particularly with overarching challenges with the relief volunteers having to fly into Nassau and then on to Abaco.”

Tracey Cooper, Bahamasair’s managing director, said in response to Mr Cargill’s remarks: “We will be looked at by the TSA, and by the Bahamas Civil Aviation Authority, as a staging point for making sure that the airports in Marsh Harbour and Freeport are given the okay for international flights.” The TSA is also due to visit Freeport on Wednesday for a similar inspection of Grand Bahama International Airport.

The prospects for re-opening both airports to international flights will be keenly anticipated by residents and businesses on both Dorian-ravaged islands since re-establishing such connectivity is seen as vital to bolstering recovery and relief efforts, as well as restarting the tourism industry and other aspects of their economies.

Mr Cargill, meanwhile, said the Treasure Cay airport will not receive any reconstruction monies from the government on the basis it makes no business sense to have two airports in the Marsh Harbour area some 45 minutes or less travel time between each another.

He said: “The Treasure Cay airport in Marsh Harbour, we have no recommendations to rebuild that airport. We recommended that the airport we have be converted to an FBO (fixed based operator). There really is not a business need to have an airport at Treasure Cay.

“Certainly to have two airports, each $30m plus, within half-an-hour or 45 minutes between each other makes no sense. So we recommended, and we had quite a few interests, to turn the airport into an FBO.”

Mr Cargill said flights will still access a rebuilt Treasure Cay airport, but the government will not be responsible for the facility any longer. He argued that changing it to an FBO model works best as the airport will be turned over to a private operator.