D’Aguilar touts airspace agreement as 1 of 3 accomplishments he’s most proud of during his tenure
“I have thoroughly enjoyed serving the Bahamian people as the minister of tourism and aviation”
NASSAU, BAHAMAS — Tourism and Aviation Minister Dionisio D’Aguilar confirmed yesterday that this nation will receive “just shy of $2 million” by month’s end as part of its airspace management agreement.
Speaking with reporters yesterday, D’Aguilar said: “We should be receiving just shy of $2 million by the end of this month.
“We had to set up all the bank accounts, establish all of the protocols from which that money will be transferred from IATA (the International Air Transport Association) to the Bank of The Bahamas, where the company has been set up to receive the funds.”
The Bahamas, for the first time in its history, has assumed management of its sovereign airspace. The move is expected to yield $300 to $350 million over the next 10 years.
Under the new agreement, as of May 1, 2021, aircraft landing in and departing out of the sovereign airspace of The Bahamas, aircraft flying solely in the airspace of The Bahamas and aircraft flying over the sovereign airspace of The Bahamas will start paying fees to the newly established Bahamas Air Navigation Services Authority (BANSA), an entity solely owned and operated by the Bahamian government.
D’Aguilar touted the execution of the airspace agreement back in May as one of the most significant achievements of his tenure in the Minnis administration’s first term in office.
“I am particularly proud of that and I am glad that accomplishment happened while I served as the minister of tourism and aviation,” said D’Aguilar.
Speaking further on his tenure, D’Aguilar said: “I have thoroughly enjoyed serving the Bahamian people as the minister of tourism and aviation.
“There are three things that I am particularly proud of as the minister of tourism. The first is that we had a record number of arrivals to the country in 2019 — 7.2 million. Never in the history of this country have so many tourists come to this country and so that is something I am particularly proud of.”
He added: “The second thing I am particularly proud of is the redevelopment of the Nassau Cruise Port, a $300 million cruise facility that is under construction and will reestablish Nassau as the preeminent cruise capital of the Caribbean.
“The third thing I am particularly proud of is that this minister, in this term, under this Minnis-led administration, finally figured out how to monetize a natural resource of this country, which is the sovereign airspace.
“Now as planes traverse through our sovereign airspace, $25 to $30 million will be earned to the benefit of The Bahamian people. I am very proud of that accomplishment.”
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