By NEIL HARTNELL

Tribune Business Editor

nhartnell@tribunemedia.net

Private aviation operators yesterday warned that “any deviation from optimum safety is a concern” after it was revealed that The Bahamas was just 32 percent compliant with global standards.

Anthony K Hamilton, president of the Bahamas Association of Air Transport Operators, told Tribune Business that the numerous deficiencies in the country’s “safety oversight regime” reflected the lack of value placed on the industry’s importance to the wider economy - especially when it came to Family Island connectivity.

Reiterating calls for aviation to be part of a national development plan, Mr Hamilton said there also needed to be greater accountability within the sector and emphasis on ensuring all workers were properly qualified if it is to flourish.

Speaking out after Tribune Business exclusively obtained the latest International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) report on The Bahamas’ compliance with global safety oversight standards, he conceded it “definitely is a concern” that just 32 percent have been implemented.

“Without any question it would be a concern,” Mr Hamilton told this newspaper. “Safety is the primary concern for the industry at large, and any deviation from optimum safety is a concern. There are some challenges without a doubt; there are some serious challenges in the industry at large, and the mitigation of that lies with the authorities.

“Anybody connected to the industry ought to have that same kind of concern that we need to have these matters addressed so we can have better scores coming from it.”

Mr Hamilton suggested that The Bahamas’ low ranking stemmed partly from a culture that failed to appreciate the aviation industry’s value to the Bahamian economy and tourism product, especially among government officials.

“Oft-times from the technocrats the full value of the industry to national development has not really been appreciated,” he told Tribune Business.”I guess we need a different national perspective for this. If we take a different approach to the kind of contribution and benefits derived from this industry that will make a major difference.”

Arguing that education and enforcement were key to much-needed improvements in the Bahamian aviation sector, Mr Hamilton argued that requires a collaborative effort and involvement from all major stakeholders - passengers, operators and regulators/the Government.

“It’s a collective responsibility,” he said. “It really needs that kind of focus to be making the strides we should be making as far as the industry is concerned. It’s a combination of things. I often say to people that the folks who admire the speed with which the planes take-off from the runway, the industry is the same.

“It moves very fast and has a lot of moving parts. The most important thing is the qualifications of personnel. And if people are held accountable other things should fall into place. There’s no one thing; it’s a combination of things.”

Calling for aviation to be part of a national development plan so that “we know where we’re heading”, Mr Hamilton said of the industry: “It’s not to be held in isolation. It’s a very telling, integral part of our nation.”

Algernon Cargill, the Government’s director of aviation, voiced optimism that The Bahamas will “significantly improve” its safety oversight compliance score once the next ICAO audit is conducted in the 2021 first quarter.

“We are going through the process of correcting the deficiencies identified in that [2018] report with the help of international consultants we’ve engaged who are also helping us to implement the aircraft registry,” he told Tribune Business. “They are working with us to identify shortcomings in that report and to help correct them.

“We are partnering with them to address these deficiencies by the time of the next audit in 2021. We are very confident that with their support we will be able to significantly improve those scores during the next review.”

Mr Cargill cited the restricted access to general aviation “airside aprons” as one reform that had provoked “backlash” from Bahamians, but defended this as “absolutely necessary” and something that the Government was “determined to implement”.

Pledging that “best practices” will be brought to bear, he added that the current 32 percent compliance was “not a failing score; it’s not a pass or fail audit”.