By NEIL HARTNELL

Tribune Business Editor

nhartnell@tribunemedia.net

The deputy prime minister yesterday revealed the Government has switched to a new financier to fund North Eleuthera Airport’s $55m overhaul because the original Saudi source is too “slow and bureaucratic”.

Chester Cooper, also minister of tourism, investments and aviation, told the Eleuthera Business Outlook conference that the Davis administration has turned to one of the partners in the consortium undertaking the $80m transformation of Bimini’s airport in a bid to speed up its similar ambitions for North Eleuthera.

And he revealed that the same group, Island Airport Development Company, will also be hired to perform the construction work involving both “air side and land side” improvements. Besides immediate fixes to ease current woes at North Eleuthera, the group will also develop a new passenger terminal and be hired to repave the runway at Governor’s Harbour airport further south.

Unveiling the Government’s changed plans, Mr Cooper said: “We know you are concerned about your airport infrastructure, and we are undertaking comprehensive plans to modernise all three airports... The North Eleuthera airport will have a $55m investment in its air side and land side.

“You will recall we executed a loan agreement with the Saudi Fund for Development that has not been drawn down; the money has not been spent on anything else. Despite the masters and forecasters of doom we are pressing forward. The Saudi Fund for Development, however, has been slow and bureaucratic in its processes.

“In our commitment to expedite the work, we’ve identified alternative funding in order to expedite this project. That funding is already in place. Island Airport Development Company, the company that is building the Bimini airport with impressive work ahead of timelines, and making significant progress, we have invited them back to the table to consider the redevelopment of North Eleuthera airport,” he said.

“We have signed an agreement and the money is in place with Plenary International Fund. We anticipate that work will begin shortly. We expect to have already delivered some of the preliminary works to ease some of the pressure at North Eleuthera airport and are preparing for construction of a state-of-the-art passenger terminal. We expect to have shovels in the ground this quarter and a projected completion date of mid-2026.”

The Island Airport Development Company consortium features Plenary, the new financing source for North Eleuthera, as one of the partners. An infrastructure specialist, it is partnered with Phoenix Infrastructure, a US-based infrastructure advisory and investment firm with offices in Washington D.C and New York, and an airport and fixed-base FBO operator called Avports.

While Bimini airport’s physical redevelopment has been progressing under the private-public partnership (PPP) between the Government and Island Airport Development Company, it has not been without concerns. Private pilots, in particular, have complained about the new and increased Bimini airport fees, which they allege are excessive, especially since they have yet to receive any new services for their money.

Meanwhile, Mr Cooper said that “as part of this arrangement we are seeing a transformation of phase one of the air side works” at Governor’s Harbour airport that includes runway upgrades. He added that this will facilitate “expanded service” by American Airlines from its Miami and Charlotte hubs to central Eleuthera.

“We’ve already seen some renovations done here in Governor’s Harbour, but the work in this phase of development working along with Island Airport Development is going to completely repave the runway at Governor’s Harbour that has been the source of much concern and complaints,” the deputy prime minister added.

He warned Eleuthera businesses and residents that the Government plans to “stagger” the redevelopment of the North Eleuthera and Governor’s Harbour airports so as to ensure that one remains open to receive aviation traffic while the other is being worked on.

“Let me just clarify it’s important that we co-ordinate the work in North Eleuthera and Governor’s Harbour to ensure there’s always an open gateway for the arrival of air traffic,” Mr Cooper said. “So we are going to be working to stagger these works between Governor’s Harbour and North Eleuthera.

“I make these points to alert you that you will not see work starting tomorrow. Work will begin in this quarter. North Eleuthera will be the priority given that it has been a source of significant concern; one of the busiest airports in the country. Governor’s Harbour will provide relief when that work is going on and once the airstrip is completed in North Eleuthera we’ll get the work done in Governor’s Harbour.”

As for Rock Sound airport, which he described as “an emerging gateway”, Mr Cooper said the Government is mulling another PPP arrangement with a private sector partner “for rehabilitation of the airport and to correct long-standing issues and serve the growth we are seeing in this area”.

He added: “We understand that every economic opportunity takes off on the tarmac, and therefore it’s important that we continue to invest. Aviation and airlift is the lifeblood of the tourism business, and what we see with the interest in travelling to Eleuthera is a vote of confidence in the industry and value of the destination.”

Mr Cooper, meanwhile, said the Bahamian tourism industry is also grappling with the recently-adjusted US travel advisory on this nation even though the country’s rating did not change and stayed at ‘Level 2’. There has been concern expressed, particularly about jet ski operators in Nassau,” the deputy prime minister said.

“While these advisories tend to have less impact on places like Eleuthera and Exuma and the other Family Islands, we ought to be aware there are many people in the world who do not understand the geography of The Bahamas and, when they think of The Bahamas, they think of Nassau. And when they think of Nassau, they think of the entirety of The Bahamas, not being aware of our archipelago.

“There is, sometimes, that impact. It revives the issue, and reinforces the message that we have been sending across the country, that tourism is everyone’s business.” Mr Cooper said the Ministry of Tourism has recently released its new ‘Lifetime’ marketing campaign for The Bahamas, again featuring Lenny Kravitz, with the slogan ‘it’s not one island; it’s a lifetime of them’.