Minister of Transport and Aviation Glenys Hanna-Martin said the price tag for redeveloping airports throughout The Bahamas - previously pegged at about $100 million by Minister of State for Investments Khaalis Rolle - is estimated to be almost $185 million, based on the completion of an audit of the airport infrastructure by government and Canadian consultants, Stantec.
The minister said that, while recent stopover visitor figures "clearly indicated growth" in the country's tourism sector, an overhaul of the country's transport infrastructure is an "absolute necessity" in its modernization efforts.
Speaking at the 2014 Exuma Business Outlook conference yesterday, Hanna-Martin stated that 22,000 visitors traveled by air to Exuma for the first half of 2014, compared to 19,000 visitors for the same period last year, a 15 percent increase.
"The numbers clearly indicate growth in stopover air arrivals to Exuma," said Hanna-Martin.
The figures follow similarly positive visitor statistics released earlier this week by the Ministry of Tourism, which indicate that foreign air and sea arrivals to the Family Islands had grown 10 percent between January and July 2014 compared to the same period in 2013.
Hanna-Martin indicated that approximately 1.06 million passengers traveled through Family Island airports last year, of which 63 percent were domestic passengers.
She added that passenger demand is projected to increase annually by 2.4 percent over the next two decades to reach 1.7 million by 2033.
Despite the encouraging numbers, Hanna-Martin stressed that Exuma's Moss Town airport is in dire need of structural improvement and is a high priority target for the government.
"These visitors and our own citizens are transiting through an airport terminal that has outgrown its capacity, leading to an inability to adequately accommodate passengers, especially during peak hours. The terminal is physically deteriorating.
"It lacks efficiency and therefore undermines the economic viability of this island, including the negative first impression that one may garner," stated Hanna-Martin.
The minister stated that the government and Canadian consultants Stantec would create a "master plan" for airport redevelopment in Exuma and other Family Islands following a comprehensive audit of the country's airports.
One of the most important engines in fueling economic growth and solidifying our social strength is our airport network, said Hanna-Martin.
Initial estimates for a complete overhaul of the country's airport infrastructure amounted to approximately $185 million.
The report categorizes the Moss Town airport as a tier 1 facility, described as a "significant port of entry gateway for the Family Islands, which has the economic opportunity to be operationally sustainable."
Six of the country's 28 Family Island airports were placed in this tier.
Hanna-Martin hopes that the plan would be completed within several weeks.

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