Four months after the government abruptly shut down the Staniel Cay airport during the height of its tourism season, local residents and businesspersons still find themselves without official word of when they may see this vital infrastructure repaired as the economy and local community continues to hurt.
Stephen Miller, local government council member for Staniel Cay, yesterday told Guardian Business that the island's pleas have remained unanswered as the delayed repairs continue to drive away tourism business and pose lingering health and safety concerns.
In April, the Department of Civil Aviation (CAD) announced the temporary closure of the runway over serious safety concerns. The extent of the airstrip's needed repairs, CAD argued, prevented the relatively quick patching treatments used in the past and necessitated the Ministry of Work's involvement.
Four months on, the Ministry of Works has yet to commence work on the infrastructural upgrade or issue official word of a contract to complete the work after negotiations with the ministry's first choice, Odyssey Aviation, fell through and, according to Miller, effectively set the repair process "back to square one." "If something's happening, the community's not being informed," Miller said.
In the meantime, residents have had to use ferries to and from Black Point, Exuma, to access air facilities. Yet with the winter season - and the renewed threats of cold fronts and severe weather - residents fear both their and tourists' ability to commute from Black Point to Staniel Cay and have called on the government to expedite the repair process lest the island find itself wholly inaccessible.
"We've had a lot of cancellations tourism-wise because a lot of visitors come on their own aircraft. On top of that we've had homeowners here complain about not being able to bring their aircraft into Black Point. There is any number of reasons to expedite it and try to get it fixed. "If the workers aren't even coming over how can we expect visitors to do it?" asked Miller.
"We don't think it's fair and we're just pleading with the government to hear our cry and understand that it's not easy. It seems like no one's hearing our pleas and we're feeling it because it's costing everyone in our community. People are already hesitant to rebook," he said, asking the government to swiftly give a timeline for the repairs and notify residents of any awarded contracts. A group of affected Staniel Cay residents yesterday released an open letter to several government ministries seeking relief, citing the considerably detrimental economic and safety impacts of the airport's prolonged closure.
"Staniel Cay airport is one of the busiest airports in the entire Bahamas. We exemplify the country's mission to support the tourism industry, and we have developed a thriving tourist economy. Alas, that is suffering while the airport is closed.
"We experience lost tourism revenue from cancellations and a loss of goodwill while attempting to soothe disgruntled visitors to our country. The closure of our popular and heavily-traveled airport is an extreme detriment to the image of the Bahamas the government wants to convey to visitors," read the statement.
Solomon Robinson, a local pilot, said that the continued closure remained "very hard" on the local economy. Aside from the inconvenience of traveling between Staniel Cay and Black Point, Robinson highlighted the financial strain on the island's residents caused by fuel costs. "To make a simple trip to Nassau it takes a half a day to do what I could've done in an hour," he said. The group similarly raised concerns over the lack of adequate medical access to the island in the event of an emergency, with one local businessperson referring to the situation as a "ticking clock" before someone is seriously injured as a result of not being able to airlift persons from Staniel Cay to Nassau.
"Elderly, infirm, frail and pregnant persons are not able to climb in and out of small boats, or manage a rough boat ride, in order to access a flight to Nassau or elsewhere for medical treatments and care. This is causing significant hardship for our most vulnerable citizens. "For ourselves, our children, and our visitors, these safety concerns rival or surpass the safety issues the government claimed behind the airport closure. We urge you to address both safety issues immediately by repairing and reopening our airstrip. Must we wait for disaster to strike before any action occurs?"
Click here to read more at The Nassau Guardian
