AOPA calls for dialogue as Bahamian government holds fast on fees
Months after the Bahamian government imposed egregious new customs fees on private aircraft, AOPA called on affected businesses to join the chorus appealing for compromise.
The new fee schedule imposed in July ended a long period of constructive cooperation between AOPA, the largest membership organization of its kind in the world, and the government of the archipelago just off the coast of Florida. Continued silence from the Bahamian government prompted AOPA to advise members in October that the new fees—higher in some cases than the fees imposed on commercial aircraft—remained in place.
“I write today to bring to your attention a critical issue in hopes that, together, we can help avoid a tourism catastrophe in The Bahamas,” Baker wrote. “These fees on private aircraft are simply unfair, unreasonable, and unsustainable. Many pilots have already stopped flying to The Bahamas and I suspect many will not return as long as this fee structure remains in place.”
The new Bahamas Customs and Excise Department fee structure represents a threefold increase on inbound fees and a sixfold increase in outbound fees for private pilots, forcing many pilots who fly small airplanes to the Bahamas as tourists to pay higher fees than a Boeing 737 operated by commercial airlines.
Baker proposed a much fairer fee structure to Bahamas Prime Minister Philip Edward “Brave” Davis in August that would be advantageous to all and includes an annual decal program, but the prime minister has not responded.
AOPA has long encouraged private pilots to fly general aviation aircraft to the Bahamas as a destination, working closely with the Bahamas Ministry of Tourism and publishing its Bahamas Pilot Guide to provide pilots considerable information about visiting the country's many islands.
Pilots and their guests help drive the Bahamian economy by spending significant resources on hotels, dining, and other activities. However, many businesses that received Baker’s letter, including those that market their services in the Bahamas Pilot Guide, are being negatively impacted by private aircraft not flying to the Bahamas as a result of the new customs fees.
Baker concluded, “We remain hopeful Prime Minister Davis will revisit the AOPA fee proposal for private pilots so, together, we can continue to promote general aviation travel and preserve the long-standing relationship that AOPA and the government of The Bahamas has cultivated for years.”
