By KEILE CAMPBELL

Tribune Staff Reporter

kcampbell@tribunemedia.net

A $2.5m plan to refurbish a seized King Air 350 aircraft for government use has been quietly shelved after officials deemed the plane unfit for investment, National Security Minister Wayne Munroe confirmed during the 2025/26 budget wrap-up in the House of Assembly.

The aircraft, previously intended to assist Royal Bahamas Defence Force (RBDF) operations and inter-island government travel, has now been placed in the Confiscated Asset Fund and will be dealt with under the Proceeds of Crime Act.

“When it was examined, it was determined that it was not feasible to do so,” Mr Munroe told Parliament on Thursday, referencing plans to convert the aircraft for official missions. He clarified that none of the $2.5m previously earmarked for the project had been spent.

“Finance allocated it for that purpose. The purpose did not come to pass. So it was not used,” he said.

Controversy erupted last year over the plane. The Office of the Prime Minister described the aircraft as a cost-saving tool to address delays faced by technical teams and officials travelling to remote Family Islands.

At the time, officials pointed to two-to-three-day waits for return flights and the growing expense of accommodation and per diems as justification for refurbishing the aircraft.

The Royal Bahamas Police Force was expected to oversee the plane’s maintenance and operations, with plans to enhance logistical capacity in a country spanning hundreds of islands.

Minister of State Leon Lundy had touted the aircraft as a practical solution to inter-island travel inefficiencies, especially given the irregularity of commercial flights.

But during last week’s debate, Free National Movement MPs Adrian White and Shannondon Cartwright raised concerns about the missing line item in the 2025/26 budget estimates. 

They questioned the status of the aircraft and the unaccounted $2.5m.