By ANNELIA NIXON

Tribune Business Reporter

anixon@tribunemedia.net

FAMILY Island resort operators yesterday warned that Flamingo Air’s temporary bar from flying following Friday’s fatal Andros crash has created furrther uncertainty over visitor access and seat capacity.

Those spoken to by Tribune Business said they are hopeful any loss of seats will be offset by new or expanded flights from other carriers, helping to minimise disruption to businesses and essential travel.

While resorts said it is too early to quantify the long-term economic impact, they argued that maintaining safe and reliable air service is critical not only for tourism-dependent businesses but also for residents who depend on domestic flights for banking, medical appointments and other essential services.

David Hocher, owner and operator of the Staniel Cay Yacht Club, said his team has been working directly with affected guests whose bookings were tied to Flamingo Air.

“We’re scrambling a little to help our customers who previously were booked on Flamingo to help them rebook,” Mr Hocher said. He added that staff have been directing travellers to alternative carriers, including Titan Airways and Graceful Wings from Nassau, while reminding visitors that their trips to Staniel Cay do not have to be cancelled.

“We’ve definitely had to jump in and kind of calm people down a little and tell them, look, there’s other options, and you don’t have to cancel your whole vacation,” Mr Hocher said.

He added that Staniel Cay continues to benefit from multiple access options, including private charter services, Titan Airways’ scheduled flights and Makers Air’s direct service from Fort Lauderdale, particularly for South Florida visitors.

Despite those alternatives, he acknowledged wider concerns about the impact on Exuma’s northern cays. “There’s a general concern… that airlift into Staniel, Black Point, Farmers is going to suffer, and so I share that concern,” Mr Hocher said, adding that reliable air service is essential for local communities beyond tourism.

“They rely on airlift… for things like banking and medical and everything else.” Rather than calling for a rapid reinstatement of Flamingo Air’s ability to fly, Mr Hocher said the industry’s priority should be ensuring safe and dependable service. He suggested the market may naturally fill the void if other operators increase capacity.

“I believe in the free market, and I think this is an opportunity for other operators to kind of step up and add capacity,” he said. “And I do think that’ll happen.” 

In Bimini, Stephen Kappeler, managing director of the Bimini Big Game Club Resort & Marina, said the potential reduction in available airline seats is likely to affect visitor arrivals because existing services were already operating near capacity.

“It’s too early to tell right now,” Mr Kappeler said. “Any less seats… is an important lack of air seats coming to Bimini.” He added that guests had already experienced difficulty securing flights before Flamingo Air’s suspension, with many services operating at full loads.

“I don’t know how that would get replaced,” he said, pointing to Western Air’s existing schedule but questioning whether sufficient additional capacity exists.

Mr Kappeler warned that fewer available seats will inevitably reduce visitor numbers. “It is going to have an impact if there’s less available seats to get to the island… It is definitely going to cause a problem with a lack of visitation,” he added.

Mr Kappeler expressed hope that the Government could work with another airline to restore lost capacity, noting that the issue extends beyond a single destination. “It’s not just one destination; it’s all three of these destinations coming and going that are going to be impacted,” he said.

Mr Kappeler added that air and stopover visitors remain an important source of tourism spending, second only to boaters in terms of discretionary spending on the islands. He added that the island’s marina and boating sector is already facing hard times following the now-adjusted boating fees, and said that with Flamingo Air flights to Bimini suspended as well his resort is likely to be further negatively impacted.

Elizabeth Bain, principal of the Mangrove Cay Club, said the immediate impact on her business is limited because the property remains closed during the summer off-season and is scheduled to reopen in October. However, she said the suspension has created uncertainty for residents because Flamingo Air and LeAir are the only domestic airlines providing regularly scheduled service to Mangrove Cay, alternating weekly flights.

“This is LeAir’s week, so we are waiting to hear if someone else picks up the route,” Ms Bain said. She added that she does not expect Flamingo Air to resume operations in the immediate future given that its air operator certificate (AOC) remains suspended pending completion of the investigation.

“So we’re waiting to hear what the director of aviation [Dr Kenneth Romer] has planned,” she said, adding that she expects aviation officials to help facilitate replacement service if necessary.

Ms Bain described the airlines as “our lifeline,” explaining that they provide the community’s principal connection to Nassau. While travellers can alternatively use Western Air from Congo Town airport, she added that service is not available daily.

For the Mangrove Cay Club itself, Ms Bain said international guests also travel via Makers Air from Fort Lauderdale into Congo Town before being transferred by boat to the property because Mangrove Cay airport does not currently have Customs and Immigration officers.

She added that discussions have been held with aviation officials about eventually allowing Makers Air to operate direct international flights into Mangrove Cay. Although she remains optimistic the airlift situation will be resolved before the resort reopens, Ms Bain said she is watching developments closely.

“Not very, frankly,” she said when asked about concerns for the October reopening. “We have time for the situation to be rectified in terms of another airline picking up the route or LeAir expanding their service to fly every day instead of every other week.”

She added that, for now, the suspension is having a greater effect on residents’ personal travel than on the resort’s operations.