Tuesday, June 25, 2024
By LEANDRA ROLLE
Tribune Chief Reporter
lrolle@tribunemedia.net
PRIME Minister Philip “Brave” Davis doubled down in defence of his administration’s $2.5m budget to refurbish a confiscated aircraft for government travel, insisting the move is less costly than chartering flights of government officials to Family Islands.
FNM leader Michael Pintard criticised the Davis administration’s decision on the plane last week, claiming the maintenance cost of the aircraft would be “exponentially higher” than travelling on a local airline.
But Mr Davis pushed back on this yesterday, noting that not all airlines travel to certain Family Islands.
“Bahamasair don’t even go to Cat Island,” he added.
He told reporters “chartering would be more expensive”, insisting the cost of chartering a plane to places like Rum Cay, Crooked Island, and Long Cay would be much more than $2.5m in a year.
National Security Minister Wayne Munroe recently told Eyewitness News that, depending on its availability, the plane would be used for several purposes, including trans- porting firefighters to the Family Islands.
Mr Pintard had said the money would have been better used for other purposes, such as securing fire trucks for the Family Islands.
But Mr Davis said yesterday: “We have to man our borders. Part of manning our borders require air surveillance.
“We are an archipelago and police have decided that this is what they want to do to ensure that they have coverage and assist government officials with moving around the various islands, so again, it’s just part of the political mischief people make.
“Think about what kind of aircraft you could get for $2.5m. What are you buying for $2.5m? This is just to refurbish and upgrade what they already have.”
Comments
birdiestrachan says...
Mr Davis you are correct only the blind and dumb can not understand these facts, some islands never see a plane and some islands see one weekly , one will have to stay on a island until the plane returns, Mr Pintard find faults with every thing good or bad his FNm papa told him, the PLP will make a mistake, and then the FNM will win their papa is not a wise man mr Pintard is looking for that mistake, he has tried crime, the USA warnings, the car, the plane lost in a wildness of confusing , I am wondering what has he promised that Woman The DNA Looser, man she is fighting comes across as just plain an nasty,
Posted 25 June 2024, 9:49 p.m. Suggest removal
Dawes says...
How do you know he is correct? has he laid out the budget to show you that this is correct. Or is it just that fact he says it means he must be correct to you. Finally have a guess who can change where Bahamasair flies right now?
Posted 26 June 2024, 8:48 a.m. Suggest removal
B_I_D___ says...
Unless you are flying every day to these 'unserviced islands' with a hoard of 50-100 unnecessary travelers, you would never rack up $2.5 million in charter fees...idiot. Now they are saying it will be used for mainly police duties...so spending that amount of money to spruce up a plane only to get trashed by the RBPF makes even LESS sense.
Posted 26 June 2024, 6:56 a.m. Suggest removal
Dawes says...
Correct. Average flight to Cat island is around $300. Put in Per diem and accommodation and make it $600. Thats 4,167 round trips and not including Maintenace, gas and pilot salaries. Also if this was to be the case they would need a fleet of aircraft and MOW may need to go to Cat Island but Police to Abaco. Plane can't do both at the same time.
Posted 26 June 2024, 8:55 a.m. Suggest removal
birdiestrachan says...
Dawes are you suggesting there is a need for more planes, ,
Posted 26 June 2024, 9:11 a.m. Suggest removal
pileit says...
It is ignorant acolytes like you, "Birdie" that embolden these daft governments to do nonsense. Do you know the value of a 15 year old KingAir? Do you know the value of a 30-year old King Air without records? This idiots have no idea how old the engines are, what life is left on them, same for props and airframe. To get this aircraft certified will cost MORE than buying a 10-15 year old aircraft. Further, what of the KingAir operated by RBDF? Do you know what happened to it you idiot? It was hardly flown, and poorly maintained, corroded itself into oblivion. Same for the RBDF Titan, and soon for the current aircraft they "operate". God help you if RBPF is supposedly "maintaining" this bass ackward project. Y'all so fool its sickening.
Posted 26 June 2024, 10:04 a.m. Suggest removal
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