By EARYEL BOWLEG

Tribune Staff Reporter

ebowleg@tribunemedia.net

THE Bahamas Aviation, Climate and Severe Weather Network (BACSWN), in collaboration with the Department of Meteorology, has begun calibrating, maintaining, and upgrading the country’s existing radar network to enhance public weather forecasting ahead of the 2025 hurricane season.

Minister of Transport and Energy Jobeth Coleby-Davis announced the initiative in the House of Assembly yesterday, citing the government’s Heads of Agreement with BACSWN signed in May. The partnership represents an investment of more than $400m over three years.

The agreement will establish the first NextGEN Meteorological Watch Office in the Caribbean, along with a comprehensive tracking network for weather, aviation, terrain, hydrology, and mapping.

“The Watch Office, coupled with BACSWN’s ‘first-of-its-kind’ atmospheric, aviation, climate, surface hydrology, 3d terrain, street and chart mapping and severe weather tracking network, will bring about live flight tracking, crash search and rescue coordination and advanced real-time reporting of meteorological conditions affecting the entire Bahamas,” said Mrs Coleby-Davis.

She described the partnership as a landmark development for The Bahamas, significantly enhancing the aviation sector, which is crucial to the country’s tourism-based economy.

“By partnering with BACSWN – a Bahamian company with strong global relationships – we not only believe the timeliness and accuracy of The Bahamas Department of Meteorology forecasts will be significantly enhanced; but that various other sectors of the country will also benefit,” she said.

The agreement also includes training opportunities for Bahamians, including at least ten scholarships and job placements in meteorology, broadcasting, aviation law, on-air hosting, and mobile production. BACSWN will support the development of technical courses at the University of The Bahamas, the Bahamas Technical and Vocational Institute, and the Bahamas Baptist Community College.

Prime Minister Philip “Brave” Davis previously described the partnership as a key step in “strengthening our national resilience” through the NextGEN meteorological watch office.

Michael Strachan, BACSWN’s group financial advisor, revealed that the company will submit a proposal to the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) to increase overflight fees to $775 per flight, of which $550 would go to the Bahamian government.

“In coordination with the Department of Meteorology, we’ll be installing, upgrading, and maintaining current equipment,” Mr Strachan said. “Based on that, we will be going to ICAO with a proposal for a fee restructure regarding the overflight fees.”

He noted the proposed changes could yield the government over $300m annually, with approximately 600,000 flights passing through Bahamian airspace each year.