The Bahamas hits aircraft operators with retroactive bills dating to 2021

For years, The Bahamas worked hard to persuade private pilots to visit, promoting its airports, organizing fly-ins and offering travel incentives. Many pilots responded enthusiatically by making the short trip from Florida and elsewhere in the US to soak up the surf and sand.

Now, many of those same aircraft operators are receiving unexpectedly steep retroactive bills for flights dating back more than five years.

The Bahamas Air Navigation Services Authority, known as BANSA, has begun collecting retroactive navigation fees from operators that flew to, from, within or over the country in piston twins, turboprops and jets since May 1, 2021.

The charges apply to private and commercial flights. Private flights in single-engine piston aircraft are exempt, along with search-and-rescue missions, emergency medical flights, certain emergency landings and government or military aircraft.

Operators that already paid the fees in place at the time are also being billed, according to the National Business Aviation Association (NBAA). BANSA is seeking the difference between the earlier amount and the new rate.

NBAA said the increases range from nearly 300% to almost 700%, depending on the aircraft’s maximum takeoff weight. The charges come on top of customs fees, airport authority charges, landing fees and FBO costs.

The bills could also create problems for aircraft owners and buyers. CST Flight Services asked BANSA whether unpaid charges tied to an aircraft could become the responsibility of a future owner. BANSA replied that an aircraft carrying a debt could be detained by the Bahamian government if the operator refused to pay and said the same policy would apply after the aircraft was sold.

That does not necessarily mean a buyer legally assumes the former owner’s debt. It does mean an aircraft with an unpaid balance could face detention when it returns to The Bahamas, even if ownership has changed.

NBAA is challenging the fees and working with other industry groups and the US government.

“NBAA is launching an advocacy effort with other impacted stakeholders and the US government to highlight the negative economic impact such onerous fees will have on FBOs, airports, the travel industry and surrounding businesses,” said Laura Everington, NBAA’s Director of International Operations and Regulations.

The association is asking operators that receive invoices to share the details so it can measure the effect of the charges.

Outstanding bills can be located and paid through the International Air Transport Association’s Simplified Invoicing and Settlement system, according to NBAA.

NBAA has also questioned why the fees are so high, noting that the FAA continues to provide most air traffic services for The Bahamas and charges the country what the association described as a minimal annual amount.

The fees stand in sharp contrast to years of efforts by the Bahamian government to attract general aviation traffic.

The Ministry of Tourism and Aviation has organized fly-ins, familiarization trips and a Flying Ambassadors program designed to show pilots how easy it is to reach and travel between the islands.

A ministry-hosted AOPA fly-in in 2017 gave pilots the chance to visit several Bahamian destinations and later encourage others to make the trip.

In 2019, the ministry brought private pilots, FBO representatives, flying ambassadors and aviation media to Grand Bahama to promote the country’s tourism and aviation services. At the time, ministry officials said they were seeing growing interest from private pilots and were working to increase general aviation arrivals.

The official Bahamas tourism website is still offering incentives to visiting pilots. One current promotion gives private pilots arriving from the US or Canada a $100 hotel credit. Another is marketed as “Fly Almost Fee-Free” and promises reduced fees for participating visitors.

The Ministry has previously described attracting more general aviation traffic and spending as a central goal. It has built relationships with AOPA, the Experimental Aircraft Association, flight schools, aviation clubs and FBOs to promote private flying to the islands.

The Ministry of Tourism did not respond to a request for comment.The post The Bahamas hits aircraft operators with retroactive bills dating to 2021 appeared first on AeroTime.

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