The Bahamas' busiest airport reopened Friday morning, giving hundreds of stranded visitors access to outbound flights after Hurricane Irene forced the closure of the Lynden Pindling International Airport.
John Terpstra, vice president of operations at the Nassau Airport Development Company (NAD), said the aim was for a 7 a.m. opening.
"We're doing everything in our power to be ready to open," he said.  "The damage was very minimal in the brand new terminal, almost no damage at all.  One ceiling tile fell down [and] we have some minor water leaks underneath the doorways... and in the old terminal, we have the same water leaks we have come to know and love."
The Lynden Pindling International Airport closed Wednesday afternoon in anticipation of the category three hurricane.
According to a statement from the Ministry of Tourism, the hurricane passed 60 miles to the east of the major tourist centers of Nassau and Paradise Island and 100 miles east of Grand Bahama Island.  It was expected to be completely out of Bahamian waters by 8 p.m last night.
The airport in Grand Bahama is also expected to be back in operation Friday morning, with assessments of airports throughout the other islands still underway.
Many large resorts remained operational during the storm.
All guests staying at the Sandals Royal Bahamian were moved to the resort's Windsor Building as an extra precaution, resort officials confirmed.  The property also outfitted its ballroom with beds, food and beverages and an entertainment section.
And the resort wasn't alone.
"The country's largest resort, Atlantis, accommodated some 6,000 guests during the storm and is fully operational," said the release.  "Other resorts in The Bahamas will be open for business as early as [Friday]."
Travelers are advised to either check bahamas.com for updates or contact their prospective hotel, airline or cruise line for information.
Cruise ports in Nassau and Grand Bahama were expected to reopen yesterday evening and ships are anticipated to resume calls as early as tomorrow morning.
Those rerouted cruise ships would have brought with them close to $2 million in total spend, with tourism officials not expecting a return in that business until the weekend.
According to statistics provided by the Ministry of Tourism, the initial loss projection as a result of Hurricane Irene is around $1.84 million.
"At this time, it is definitely a loss for us," Carla Stuart, the ministry's director of cruise development, said earlier, "because the weather is aiming directly at us and it's such a short notice, but generally that's what we're seeing.  This would have been a very good week for us."

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