By FAY SIMMONS

and NEIL HARTNELL

Tribune Business Reporters

Grand Bahama’s Chamber of Commerce president yesterday likened the Grand Lucayan and the island’s airport to “two rings on the same bird” that need to take-off and fly “simultaneously”.

Speaking out after Chester Cooper, deputy prime minister, said the Government is seeking alternative funding sources for Grand Bahama International Airport’s $200m redevelopment, Dillon Knowles described the lack of tangible, visible progress on both developments as a “catch-22” given that the island needs both to move forward at the same time.

“They are definitely two rings on the same bird,” he said. “We definitely need both to fly efficiently in the future. Neither one has started yet. It’s not like one is out ahead of the other. That’s the optimistic way of looking at it. The pessimistic one is neither has started yet, so neither is close to completion.

“It’s a catch-22 situation for us in the sense that we need both of them actively being developed at the moment and neither of them are. Both need to happen simultaneously.” Mr Knowles said it was especially important that both start soon, as the construction work would help fill the void caused in tourism by all of Carnival Cruise Line’s passengers going to - and remaining - at Celebration Key.

The Government, in a statement yesterday, pledged that it is in “the final stages” of securing financing to start Grand Bahama International Airport’s redevelopment and that Manchester Airport Group remains on board as an operating partner.

“The redevelopment of Grand Bahama International Airport remains a central priority for this administration and is key to the island’s economic renewal. We are in the final stages of securing funding and concluding agreements on airport management. These steps will allow construction to proceed and ensure the delivery of a modern, world class facility,” the Government said.

“Manchester Airport Group, the UK’s largest airport management group, continues to work with us as a key partner in shaping the airport’s development and management. Their role has not been, and will not be, to provide funding.

“Alongside the Bahamian consortium of contractors, they are a part of the team that will deliver this project for the people of Grand Bahama. We will make a further statement on the funding partner in short order. Our focus is on results. Grand Bahama will have the airport it needs to grow, attract investment and strengthen its role as a gateway to The Bahamas.”

Chester Cooper, deputy prime minister, in February 2024 pledged that demolition work at Grand Bahama International Airport will begin “within the next 30 days” having initially announced the deal with the Government’s private sector partners in March 2023. The funding was originally set to come from the UK government’s export financier and provider of trade credits and guarantees.

Tony Myers, Bahamas Hot Mix’s (BHM) chairman, the company itself and CFAL president, Anthony Ferguson, were all members of the Bahamian investor group named as spearheading what was billed as a complete overhaul of Grand Bahama International Airport. They were joined in Aerodrome Ltd by two fellow Bahamians - Anthony Farrington, an engineer, and Greg Stuart, a businessman.

BHM’s involvement in the project was through its UK-based international arm, BHM Construction International. The group teamed with Manchester Airport Group as its operating partner, with financing for the project to be provided by UK Export Finance, the British government body.

The promised $200m overhaul included international cargo, warehouse and logistics ambitions. However, Tribune Business reported at the time that UX Export Finance was likely to require a sovereign guarantee to underwrite the financing, and give it the security needed to advance the funds - something the Government was reluctant to do because it would add to the national debt.

Mr Knowles, meanwhile, added: “Right now, it seems as though two very important projects for the economy of Grand Bahama - the Grand Lucayan and the airport -  appear to be stalled. And these projects are not just important for the businesses and investors but for the general public here on Grand Bahama.

“We haven’t heard anything concrete announced about the hotel, so we don’t really know where that is, other than the comments that were made by Concord Wilshire a few months ago about needing to link the hotel revamp to the airport revamp.

“But the mere fact that the airport is now going to, at a minimum, be delayed further because of the need to seek new financing suggests that maybe the hotel will also be delayed further. I don’t know if there’s a direct correlation there, but to the average person it would appear so.”

While acknowledging the growing frustration among Grand Bahama business owners, Mr Knowles added that many on the island have grown weary of public announcements that fail to materialise into action. Years of delayed or shelved developments have created a cautious mindset among the private sector, which now tends to reserve judgment until visible, on-the-ground progress is made.

“I can’t say that Grand Bahama business owners were particularly happy or sad about the airport. The people of Grand Bahama... don’t particularly trust something is happening until we see it happening,” said Mr Knowles.

“So, of course, it is disappointing to hear that funding for the airport has not been secured yet, but one thing about businesses in Grand Bahama is they are very resilient. We will continue to work and do everything that we can in this economy of Grand Bahama.”

Mr Knowles also stressed the critical need for a broader range of tourism offerings on the island, emphasising that enhancing the overall visitor experience is essential to driving increased airlift, boosting hotel occupancy and stimulating wider economic activity across Grand Bahama.

He argued that while the focus has often been placed on physical infrastructure, such as airports and hotels, the real draw for travellers lies in the quality and variety of activities available once they arrive. Without sufficient attractions and experiences to entice tourists to visit, and stay longer, the island risks losing out to destinations that offer more dynamic and engaging options.

“I’ve said multiple times that tourists don’t go to airports and they don’t go to hotels; they go to activities. They pass through airports and they stay in hotels. In our particular case, we have a shortage of activities. We have a shortage of hotel rooms, and we have a small - from our perspective - airport. If you look at it from the perspective of the Family Islands, it’s a big airport,” said Mr Knowles.

“It’s not what we ideally need for the passenger count that we need, but it’s functioning right now with the passenger count that we have. We need all of these things to come together in unison. In order to have more passengers, we need to have more activities, and we need to have more hotel rooms. And obviously, if we can have more passengers, we need to have more capability at the airport.”

Mr Cooper revealed on Monday that the Davis administration is currently seeking new sources of funding for the long-delayed airport redevelopment.

“We executed a private public partnership some time ago for the advancement of the airport. It involved the management agreement with Manchester Airport Group that continues to be actively engaged. There were to be Bahamian contractors, which we celebrated, and there was to be funding provided by the group,” said Mr Cooper.

“Regrettably, the funding hadn’t happened. We at the moment are organizing alternative funding. Whilst I can’t speak to that today, I can tell you that we’re making progress, and in due course, I’ll be making a further statement.”