"Nassau airport deal finalized"

Saturday, March 31, 2007

Airport deal finalized
By Timothy Schwab
Bahamas - The Nassau Guardian


Yesterday at 11am, the international departure terminal of Lynden Pindling
International Airport was in its normal congested state, with sluggish lines
spilling out of the terminal onto sidewalks, sunburned families dragging
huge pieces luggage three feet at a time in their circuitous quest to the
check-in desk. 

But that's all going to change, Prime Minister Perry Christie announced
yesterday at a ceremony that officially handed management duties of the
airport over to Canadian contractors. Calling it the largest public
development project in Bahamian history, the prime minister said more than
$300 million may be spent in the operation, which intends to alleviate
congestion and modernize the facility that Sol Kerzner once publicly
criticized as being the worst airport in the world. 

To be sure, Kerzner hasn't been the only critic of the airport, which serves
as the first and last contact tourists have with The Bahamas, a country
whose tourist industry is "the lifeline" of the Bahamian economy, Christie
noted. 

The contract signing comes after months of "intense negotiations," according
several government officials speaking at the press conference yesterday. But
it also comes curiously close to elections, a subject that Christie alluded
to more than once in his 45 minute speech. 

"In the spirit of the season," Christie concluded his presentation, "It
gives me the pleasure of saying, 'So said, so done.'" While the 10-year
contract with Vancouver Airport Services promises to make the airport more
efficient, cleaner and more welcoming to tourists, the contract won't
address the airport's safety and security issues, which have become a sore
spot in American-Bahamian diplomacy in recent months. 

Last December, several airport-employed baggage handlers were arrested on
allegations of smuggling drugs to the United States. More recently, US
Ambassador John Rood strongly criticized the government for other serious
security breaches at the airport, which reportedly number 700. 

A government task force is currently in place investigating these concerns. 

George Casey, president of new management company at the airport, Vancouver
Airport Services, said part of the reason his company was chosen to take
over Lynden Pindling was because the company has worked with American law
enforcement at other airports, including the airport in Vancouver, which,
like Nassau, also has a US pre-clearance facility. The Prime Minister and
Casey both acknowledged that Vancouver Airport Services could play a role in
passenger screening and other security assistance, though that has not been
decided. 

Other dimensions of air transportation in the Bahamas may change soon, too,
as The Bahamas re-evaluates its relationship with the United States Federal
Aviation Administration (FAA). The FAA currently manages Bahamian airspace
and wants to remain involved in the process, even as The Bahamas is
considering taking over the reins. 

The airport is also in the process of installing a much-needed, new radar
system, which was purchased under the previous administration but has never
been fully operational. Minister of Transport Glenys Hanna-Martin has said
that a $3 million dollar investment is necessary to make the new radar
system work. The government has not decided with whom or when that
investment will take place, according to Hanna-Martin.

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