* Creates private aviation 'game changer'

* Industry player: No one else comes close

* Preclearance to open as volumes up 100%

By NEIL HARTNELL

Tribune Business Editor

nhartnell@tribunemedia.net

The Bahamas was yesterday hailed for "a stroke of genius" in developing Florida-based pre-clearance facilities for a private aviation market that has "almost doubled" in volume during recent months.

Rick Gardner, director of CST Flight Services, which provides flight co-ordination and trip support services to the private aviation industry throughout the Caribbean and Latin America, told Tribune Business that the two locations will represent an industry "game changer that no other country has" when they become operational in early 2021.

He explained that the initiative will "open up" Family Islands that presently lack designated ports of entry by enabling private pilots and their clients to clear Customs, Immigration and COVID-19 protocols while still in the US, and also reduce the cost, complexity and time associated with flying to The Bahamas.

Mr Gardner, a member of The Bahamas Civil Aviation Council as well as a Bahamas Flying Ambassador, said the initiative will also benefit charter companies and seaplanes bringing clients to The Bahamas as it will help reduce the costs associated with their services.

He explained that by facilitating pre-clearance in Florida, these planes will no longer have to clear at a designated port of entry in The Bahamas on either an inward or outbound journey, thus slashing "three landings into one".

The pre-clearance move, he indicated, was perfectly timed to boost a tourism niche likely to rebound faster from the COVID-19 pandemic than others with the volume of private flights to The Bahamas up "almost 100 percent" year-over-year for October and November as high net worth individuals and their families sought to escape soaring infection rates in the US and elsewhere.

While December numbers were "not following the same trend", which Mr Gardner attributed to the ongoing spike in COVID-19 cases in the US and warnings by health authorities not to travel, he added that the figures were still "way up" on 2019 comparatives.

Suggesting that The Bahamas' pre-clearance move will further boost this performance, he told Tribune Business: "I believe that the pre-clearance is a stroke of genius by The Bahamas' government and will positively help private aviation to The Bahamas.

"Out Island destinations that do not have airports of entry (AOE) such as Arthur’s Town, Deadman’s Cay, Staniel Cay, Norman’s Cay, Sandy Point, Crooked Island, Acklins etc will now become easier destinations to fly to.

"For example, to fly to Staniel Cay today, you have to make an intermediate stop in Bimini, Andros or New Providence to clear into The Bahamas before flying into Staniel. Under the pre-clearance programme, aircraft can fly directly to Staniel," Mr Gardner explained.

"Also, seaplane operators could fly direct to an island/yacht and deliver its passengers. Another benefit is to reduce congestion at Lynden Pindling International Airport during the December and early January timeframe because aircraft that are only landing there to complete entry formalities can skip the airport entirely and fly direct to their destination."

The two Florida-based pre-clearance facilities are located at Banyan Air Service at Fort Lauderdale Executive Airport, and Sheltair Aviation at Fort Lauderdale International Airport. Greg Rolle, the Ministry of Tourism's senior director of vertical markets, yesterday confirmed that both locations are due to open in early 2021 between the hours of 7am and 6pm.

Mr Gardner said private pilots and their passengers will then be able to go into "an enclosed, controlled space" manned by Bahamian Customs and Immigration officers, and complete all formalities associated with entry into The Bahamas for both persons and planes.

The inbound C7-A form for inbound planes can be completed, and the $29 per head departure tax paid upfront in advance rather than at the back end. "It's a big win," Mr Gardner told this newspaper. "For a charter pilot going to Staniel Cay it takes three landings down to one. Where you lower the bar - the cost and complexity threshold - more people are willing to come over and go to other destinations.

"I haven't been able to completely absorb all the ramifications, but they're all good. I just see upside for The Bahamas. I see upside for the Family Islands because planes and pilots that would not normally visit today, it opens up the whole ball game for charter businesses.

"You have high net worth clients that would like to visit a cay in the Exumas without an airport, you can charter a seaplane and go. It's just a win all the way around, and I don't know of any other country that has something like this," he continued.

"It's a game changer. It's out of the box. The US has pre-clearance facilities for private pilots in the US Virgin Islands, but you have to land at a port of entry in the US and if you try to land at a private airstrip it's up to them whether they accept you.

"This is far beyond that. It takes it to a whole new level. It's a game changer. It's forward thinking that is out of the box. It's good for the Family Islands because you've lowered the time, complexity and cost, and when you do that only good things happen. More people jump over the bar."

Mr Gardner, whose company assists multiple pilots heading to The Bahamas every year, said of business levels: "October and November were boom; just huge. We had double, almost 100 percent more, for October and November.

"Three charter companies said they were seeing big numbers over last year, and seeing big volumes for December and January, so it sounds like people across the board are seeing significantly good numbers.

"December is not quite following the same pace, and I think that's being driven by the COVID-19 spike in the US and the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) advising against travel, but it's still way up on last year." Mr Gardner added that The Bahamas' testing regime also provided a competitive advantage as persons wanted to travel to countries seeking to mitigate the virus.

Mr Rolle, meanwhile, told Tribune Business: "The close proximity of The Bahamas to the United States makes pre-clearance a 'game changer' when it comes to enhancing the customer experience, simplifying the process, increasing safety, cutting aircraft operators’ costs, and making many additional destinations within the Bahamas more attractive to the private pilot."

Explaining that the two Florida facilities will not deal with air cargo, he added: "Many people traveling to remote islands of The Bahamas via private and charter aircraft can now take a more direct route to their destination, which reduces the number of landings and greatly lowering operating costs while increasing safety.

"There is a large reduction in cost to private pilots with savings in fuel, cycles and wear and tear on the aircraft. It also reduces the congestion caused by small aircraft traffic at the Lynden Pindling International Airport (LPIA).

"Pre-clearance allows both the Customs and Immigration departments to operate more efficiently and capture the general aviation government revenues more accurately."