By Fay Simmons

Tribune Business Reporter

jsimmons@tribunemedia.net

The deputy prime minister yesterday said he and his team have made "a strong case" for Qatar Airways to establish an air cargo hub on Grand Bahama during their three-day visit to the Gulf state.

Chester Cooper, also minister of tourism, investments and aviation, in a video-taped interview said the air cargo push was part of a wider drive to promote the island as "a place to invest" and potential technology hub. Air cargo was also previously unveiled as a key component in the $200m Grand Bahama International Airport revival plan.

Seeking to boost the Bahamian aviation sector through forging binding ties with Qatar Airways, Mr Cooper said the proposed Bahamas Aeronautical Academy will mirror the Middle Eastern state's own institution by training commercial pilots, air traffic controllers, aviation mechanics and aviation managers

The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) that he signed will also result in collaboration between Bahamasair and Qatar Airways, with the former branding long-haul flights operated by the latter. “We have today executed a Memorandum of Understanding between the Ministry of Transport of Qatar and the Ministry of Tourism, Investments and Aviation to collaborate on aviation matters," Mr Cooper said.

“It will be an ongoing affiliation between the Qatar Aeronautical Academy and the new Bahamas Aeronautical Academy, where we will exchange best practices and know-how and we will cater to new students entering the aviation field whether they want to be a commercial pilot, air traffic controller, aviation mechanic or to study aviation management. This is a programme that we are starting in The Bahamas but will be extended to the Caribbean region.”

Mr Cooper is leading a Bahamian delegation on a trade mission to West Asia, which began with the Qatar visit. He said The Bahamas may eventually serve as a hub for Qatar Airways, which will lend technical support to the aviation sector, including Bahamasair. He hinted that the national flag carrier may eventually begin to offer long-haul flights operated by Qatar Airways.

“Also in the aviation field, we will be provided some technical assistance in terms of aviation safety, and in some other areas where we have determined that we can use some assistance from the state of Qatar," Mr Cooper said. “We are continuing dialogue with Qatar Airways - in the spirit of the agreement - to hopefully begin a process where The Bahamas might be a hub for Qatar Airways, catering to multi-destination travel [and] hopefully catering to Latin America as well.

“This is an ongoing conversation. We are working together with Qatar Airways and Bahamasair to provide certain technical assistance to Bahamasair. I foreshadowed before that Qatar Airways would provide some support in terms of business planning, feasibility, commercial and other technical assistance.

“We have an open skies arrangement with US, UK and Canada, where we might in future see Bahamasair offering long-haul flights, perhaps operated by Qatar Airways.” He explained that Qatar Airways currently services 130 destinations and is looking into another 70 routes, but is currently constrained by a lack of available aircraft.

“Qatar Airways is one of the most successful, vibrant, robust airlines in the world. One of the largest, with more than 130 destinations that they're serving. They are looking to add an additional 70 routes in terms of new destinations, limited only by their inability to acquire new aircraft at this time due to there being a shortage in the world," Mr Cooper said.

“So this is a partner that will add significant value to Bahamasair and, of course, Bahamasair stands on its strong safety record with good quality Bahamians running the airline, connecting our 16 island destinations and, of course, our destinations in Florida. We are, quite frankly, restrained by limited capacity in terms of equipment, and we're looking at a number of ways to be able to address this long-standing, vexing issue.”

Mr Cooper also voiced hopes that Qatar Airways may establish an air cargo hub on Grand Bahama, while also referring to potential partnerships with Qatar's government to invest in the island and explore liquefied natural gas (LNG) opportunities.

He said: “We've been able to make a strong case for Grand Bahama as an air cargo hub for Qatar Airways. So certainly we are strengthening this relationship, and we look forward to be able to make formal pronouncements in due course. We expect Qatar Airways to visit The Bahamas mid-October to finalise their work.

“We're advancing Grand Bahama as a place to invest and do business, building on the infrastructure, the proximity to the US, the growing airport and transshipment. We see opportunities. We're looking at potential opportunities in LNG.”

Mr Cooper said The Bahamas will reciprocate by giving technical support to Qatar's tourism industry. He added: “On the tourism front, we are beginning dialogue that will have The Bahamas offering technical assistance to the state of Qatar. We are experts in the field of tourism. This is recognised worldwide.”

The Deputy Prime Minister said that during his visit he will be meeting with Qatar's prime minister, Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani; the Qatar Fund for Investments and Development; and Qatar Investment Authority to explore investment possibilities. He added that he will also seek a partnership to help develop sustainable tourism in The Bahamas.

He said: “We're meeting with the tech hub here in Qatar, and we're going to hopefully, in due course, execute a partnership with them for co-operation, collaboration and for them to provide assistance when necessary in helping to build out an ecosystem.

“We are looking at sustainable tourism. We're looking at many environmental, sustainable initiatives. And certainly we are seeing how we might infuse in our sustainable tourism product some lessons that we are gleaning from the use of technology for climate resilience, etc. And this is going to bode well for us into the future.”

“We continue our meetings tomorrow. We will meet with the prime minister, we will meet with Qatar Fund for Investments and Development and the Qatar Investment Authority. And, as you would imagine, there would be a heavy focus on investments, attracting new investments to The Bahamas through foreign direct investments, joint ventures and otherwise. We will continue these discussions for attracting new business to our shores.”