NASSAU, Bahamas, CMC—The government has signed a multi-million dollar agreement with the Bahamas Aviation, Climate, and Severe Weather Network (BACSWN) to enhance meteorological services and improve flight tracking.
Prime Minister Phillip Davis, speaking at the US$400 million signing ceremony, said that the Bahamas Department of Meteorology has dedicatedly served the country for over six decades and that air traffic through the islands has increased significantly over the past twenty years.
“That growth brings with it responsibility. Responsibility to ensure aviation safety.
Responsibility to enhance our resilience. And responsibility to use this moment to advance our economy and the services our people depend on.”
Davis said this is why his administration is signing the agreement with BACSWN, saying, “Together, we will establish the Caribbean’s first NextGEN Meteorological Watch Office.
“This is a major step forward. The new Watch Office, alongside BACSWN’s advanced weather and flight-tracking technologies, will allow The Bahamas to monitor atmospheric and aviation conditions in real time across every part of our archipelago. It will place us among the most capable meteorological jurisdictions in the region.”
BACSWN’s group financial advisor, Michael Strachan, said the company will submit a proposal to the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) to increase overflight fees to US$775 per flight, and the government will receive US$550 per flight.
“In coordination with the Department of Meteorology, we’ll be installing, upgrading, and maintaining current equipment, and based on that, we will be going to ICAO with a proposal for a fee restructure regarding the overflight fees.
Based on that process, which we anticipate to take anywhere between six months to a year, once that’s completed, we’ve met all the ICAO requirements, we’ll be able to increase the overflight fee charges from its current structure to what we estimate to be about $775 per flight, and the government will have a net benefit of $550 per flight,” Strachan added.
He said the fee adjustment will provide the government over US$300 million annually as an estimated 600,000 flights traverse the Bahamian airspace annually.
Davis said that the agreement strengthens national resilience, giving “us tools to better protect our people, our economy, and our way of life. It enables us to take our responsibilities seriously in aviation, climate readiness, and public service.”
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