• Company hopes to begin operations in first week of January

• CAAB wrote to firm warning against social

By YOURI KEMP

Tribune Business Reporter

ykemp@tribunemedia.net

A skydiving excursion provider has been warned by the Civil Aviation Authority of The Bahamas (CAAB) to not advertise any jumps until given further approval.

Vans Johnson, of Skydive Bahamas, is hoping to start jumps in the new year - but documents seen by Tribune Business sent to Mr Johnson from the Civil Aviation Authority of The Bahamas (CAAB), signed by its lawyer, Ryan Sands, say that despite being warned by the regulator to not advertise any jumps prior to approval, Skydive Bahamas nonetheless has been advertising on their various social media pages.

The letter, dated December 7, 2023, said: “We urge… Skydive Bahamas to come into the CAA-B and gain authorisation to conduct skydiving operations before holding out to the public that Skydive Bahamas is authorised to conduct such an activity. This is to carry out CAA-B’s mandate of ensuring the safety and security of the operation and the public who participates in it.

“Consequently, as Skydive Bahamas Adventures’ Skydiving/Parachute Jumping Operating Certificate expired on November 10, 2023, you do not have the authorisation to conduct skydiving operations until your company has secured a current Skydiving/Parachute Jumping Operating Certificate. If you are found to be conducting operations without the required authorisation, enforcement action will immediately follow.”

Vans Johnson, Skydive Bahamas chief executive, told Tribune Business he plans to make his first jump in the first week in January and has made application to CAAB requesting permission.

He also said: “I just finished talking to my pilots and my workers, asking them to confirm with me that they will be here for next week. I’m getting too many requests by email of people wanting to jump and I’m just waiting on them.

“So what I’m going to do is I’m going to pull the trigger because I have done everything that CAAB has asked me to do. I’ve absorbed all of the losses and I have kept quiet about it. But I think as a Bahamian and as a professional, I have exhausted all avenues especially as a small man.”

Calls to CAAB were unsuccessful up to press time. Mr Johnson has also sent further correspondence to Niko Davis, director of Family Island Airports at the Airport Authority, and Alexander Ferguson, director of the Civil Aviation Authority, asking them to intervene on his behalf so he can confirm a date to commence providing jumps.

Mr Johnson wrote: “We have been losing up to $25,000 per week plus financial (keeping lease for planes and staff on hand to begin operations) and public embarrassment, while waiting for approval of operations that have already been approved. (We have discussed this in an email that is also attached. It is crucial for us to begin operating our business at a successful level in all areas, starting with our services. Unfortunately, we are currently unable to fulfill the requests of our customers, who email us daily to purchase tickets.”