HAMILTON, Bermuda, CMC – The operator of LF Wade International Airport, Skyport, has launched legal action against the carrier BermudAir over allegations that it has fallen behind on payments.
According to The Royal Gazette newspaper, the back payments being sought amount to millions of dollars.
A spokeswoman for Skyport, the operator of LF Wade International Airport, stated that the Bermudian-based airline was now “substantially behind” in payments of its airport charges.
“After unsuccessfully attempting to work with BermudAir for over a year, Skyport has been forced to initiate a legal process to recover the significant outstanding balance and ensure payment going forward,” the spokeswoman said.
BermudAir confirmed that it was dealing with “several commercial issues” with Skyport that it hoped to resolve “in the coming weeks”.
Airport charges are fees paid by passengers and airlines for the use of airport facilities and services, as outlined in the Bermuda Airport Authority Act 2017.
Skyport explained that the charges are collected by airlines on behalf of Skyport and are required to be paid over.
“BermudAir has been collecting these charges for an extended period and not paying them over to Skyport,” the spokeswoman said.
“Since its inception, Skyport has been a strong advocate of BermudAir and has supported its start-up by extending roughly US$700,000 in fee concessions for new services.”
A legal writ was filed by the firm Wakefield Quinn on behalf of Bermuda Skyport Corporation Ltd. on July 11, listing BermudAir Ltd. as the respondent.
A spokeswoman for BermudAir said the carrier is in the process of resolving several commercial issues with Skyport.
“We remain confident that a resolution will be reached in the coming weeks as we have been engaging constructively and in good faith with the Skyport team.
“It is unfortunate that Skyport has chosen to publicly comment on a confidential commercial matter, which we believe is best handled through direct and professional dialogue.”
MudAir first launched in September 2023 with two aircraft offering direct service between Bermuda and Boston and Westchester.
Since then, the airline has doubled its fleet and introduced several new routes to cities, including Toronto, Halifax, Charleston, Orlando, Richmond, Baltimore, and Montreal.
This year, the airline announced the launch of AnguillAir, a new brand under the BermudAir umbrella, which will run flights from Boston and Baltimore to Anguilla, a British Overseas Territory, starting in December.
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