By LYNAIRE MUNNINGS

Tribune Staff Reporter

lmunnings@tribunemedia.net

BAHAMASAIR has fired a captain after a cockpit dispute in Abaco left more than 100 passengers stranded, with officials stressing the incident was isolated and not representative of the airline’s standards.

The disruption unfolded on Sunday, August 31, when a female First Officer refused to continue flying with the captain on a scheduled Abaco–New Providence flight after he was reported to be vaping in the cockpit. She alerted the Operations Control Centre, citing cockpit dynamics and safety concerns, and refused to operate the flight with him.

Bahamasair immediately pulled both pilots from duty and dispatched a replacement crew. The ATR turboprop aircraft, registration C6-BFR, eventually departed Marsh Harbour for West Palm Beach, Florida, after 4pm—hours behind schedule.

The disruption rippled across the route: about 30 passengers were booked on the Marsh Harbour–Florida leg, more than 50 were waiting in West Palm Beach to return to Abaco, and dozens more were scheduled on the final trip back to New Providence. Some travellers missed connections, while others were delayed for appointments.

Managing director Tracey Cooper said Bahamasair applied its compensation policies to rebook connections and assist inconvenienced passengers. He stressed the captain’s conduct was not typical of Bahamasair’s flight crews.

“He was not the norm at Bahamasair,” Mr Cooper told The Tribune. “Every now and then, you would have somebody who’s an outlier, and because that person is not conforming, it doesn’t mean that everybody is not conforming.”

The Abaco incident was not the first time the captain had drawn scrutiny. On August 25, less than a week earlier, he was called in over concerns about how he was managing the aircraft and was told what needed to change.

“Rather than take our advisement to him, he responded in the way that he did,” Mr Cooper said.

Bahamasair later received two voice notes believed to be from the captain threatening other pilots who had reported his alleged misconduct. Officials described the messages as inappropriate and inconsistent with professional standards.

Mr Cooper said the voice notes reinforced the airline’s concerns. “The voice messages kind of actually showed where Bahamasair was doing its part in that we were reinforcing what our standards were to that captain in question,” he said. “Again, I would just like to say that we were a little disappointed that he did not take it in the way that we intended it to be.”

Although the vaping was not directly witnessed by managers, Mr Cooper confirmed such conduct violates aviation rules. “As per industry standards, smoking, vaping is not allowed in the aeroplane,” he said. “You have sensitive equipment, and you also have the health of the passengers and the rest of the crew as well.”

In a statement, Bahamasair said passenger safety was never compromised but emphasised its zero-tolerance policy. “Bahamasair maintains a zero-tolerance policy toward any form of intimidation or unprofessional conduct. While no safety issues were reported during the flight, the airline views this matter with the utmost seriousness,” the company said.

Mr Cooper admitted the disruption put pressure on the airline’s already limited pool of flight crew. “We don’t have an abundance, an overstock of flight crew, to put it nicely, so we try to keep as many flight crews as needed. Obviously, we will have to make adjustments moving forward,” he said.

Airport staff described the Abaco incident as unprecedented, while some passengers voiced frustration on social media, calling for compensation and questioning how the dispute was allowed to escalate.

Despite the fallout, Mr Cooper said Bahamasair’s safety record remains intact and that the airline’s decisive action demonstrated its commitment to professionalism and public confidence.