NASSAU, BAHAMAS- Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Tourism, Investments and Aviation Chester Cooper says the government is actively engaging airline partners to bridge any potential gap in service to The Bahamas following the shutdown of Silver Airways, which ceased operations on June 11, 2025.
Cooper said the development was not entirely unexpected. “That wasn’t particularly surprising and the reality is that they had been a beleaguered airline for quite some time. They had been in Chapter 11 with an attempt to restructure, and they determined yesterday that that attempt was not moving forward. And they advised their passengers that they would discontinue service.”
Cooper clarified that the airline’s decision is not a targeted withdrawal from the Bahamian market but a complete cessation of operations.
“So this isn’t any bearing on The Bahamas directly. It’s not that they’re removing the service from The Bahamas or pulling out of The Bahamas there. They’re pulling it all together. And hopefully they will return at some point, in some way and return that service.”
In the meantime, he said the Ministry is speaking with airline partners to maintain airlift to the islands previously served by Silver.
“We’re talking with our partners about how we can bridge the gap, how we can provide additional lift to The Bahamas. American Airlines, for example, is one of our largest airline partners, providing upwards of 30 percent of traffic to the islands. They actually operate in all of the markets that Silver operated in, except for Tampa and no doubt they are going to monitor demand and adjust where necessary to support the demand,” said Cooper.
Cooper also noted that Bahamasair has been engaged in discussions to explore how it can support affected routes.
“In addition, we have Bahamasair, and we’ve already engaged Bahamasair directly about what additional routes we might provide. We’re looking at the data. We’re going to make the assessment over the next day or two, and we’ll take some decisions as to the next steps in the best interests of Bahamasair and the best interests of Bahamas Tourism. But we are looking at it actively at the moment.”
Silver Airways filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in January 2025 in an effort to restructure its finances. The airline provided service between Florida and several Bahamian destinations, including Nassau, Freeport, Georgetown, Bimini, North Eleuthera, Governor’s Harbour, and Marsh Harbour.
It has since entered into a transition agreement to sell its assets to another airline holding company, which will not continue flight operations. The airline has advised customers not to go to the airport and to seek ticket refunds through their credit card providers or travel agents.
Cooper said the government is proceeding with caution but making the necessary plans.
“Over the course of the next few days, we’ll know more about what’s happening with Silver. Suffice to say, we’re assuming that they’re out of business, and we’re making contingency plans.”
In a statement, Bahamasair confirmed it is standing by to assist impacted travelers and is offering rebooking support for passengers with disrupted itineraries involving Orlando, Miami, Fort Lauderdale, West Palm Beach, and Family Island destinations.
