AOPA issues Bahamas travel advisory

AOPA reported in July that private pilots visiting the Bahamas were being met with “egregious” new entry and departure fees that in many cases exceeded the new fees being imposed on commercial airlines.

AOPA President Mark Baker promptly sent a letter urging Bahamas Prime Minister Philip Edward “Brave” Davis to intervene and rescind the high fees on visitors arriving and departing the country in private airplanes. Baker also submitted an alternative fee proposal in August that included an annual decal program, but the prime minister has not responded.

The Bahamas Customs and Excise Department posted the new fee schedule on Facebook in June, though AOPA has learned that some of its members have been charged much higher fees.

General aviation is an important segment of the Bahamas tourism industry. According to data from the Bahamas Ministry of Tourism, stopover visitors who arrive by private aviation nearly double the number of stopover visitors who arrive by private boat or by cruise ships and stay at least 24 hours off ship. Additionally, many private aviation visitors frequent the less accessible Out Islands, providing a crucial economic boost to hotels, restaurants, and activities in those areas.

For many years, AOPA has worked closely with the Bahamian government and Ministry of Tourism to promote the country as a prime destination for GA travel, but the recent fees imposed on GA aircraft arrivals and departures will likely have the reverse impact of what the Ministry of Finance intended. “These fees will not only discourage pilots from flying to the Bahamas, but they will also have a negative impact on the Bahamian citizens and businesses involved in the tourism industry especially in the outer islands that are most easily reached by general aviation aircraft,” said Baker.

After repeated attempts to find an equitable resolution to the high fees with the prime minister over the past few months—even proposing a more reasonable fee schedule, and a personal request from Baker to meet in the Bahamas with the prime minister—AOPA has received little to no response from the Bahamian government.

Although AOPA stands ready to work with officials in the Bahamas to resolve the imposition of unfair and unreasonable fees and ensure GA activity in the Bahamas continues to be robust and accessible, AOPA feels a responsibility to issue a travel advisory to alert its hundreds of thousands of members about the significant fees they will pay when visiting the Bahamas.

AOPA has announced its Bahamas Travel Advisory through its influential GA media and communications network, which includes the AOPA Bahamas Pilot Guide, AOPA Airport Directory, AOPA Pilot magazine, AOPA ePilot newsletter, and AOPA website. AOPA’s travel advisory is in addition to one the U.S. State Department issued in January.

“I’m ready fly to the Bahamas as soon as the prime minister is able to meet on this issue,” said Baker. “Pilots understand the need to impose fees for infrastructure improvements, but it is a real shame the Bahamian government has chosen to penalize private pilots whose desire is to enjoy all the Bahamas has to offer.”