Grand Bahama International Airport (GBIA), a privately owned joint venture between Hutchison Port Holdings (HPH) and the Grand Bahama Port Authority, has yet to experience a significant increase in airlift, which remains a costly disadvantage for the government and private investors, according to Ministry of Tourism Director of Airlift Tyrone Sawyer.

This despite aggressive airlift promotional activities by both public and private sector actors.

"The government has been making initiatives for years to invest in Grand Bahama to make sure it got more airlift. But it still hasn't reached the level of competition in air routes that Nassau presently enjoys," he said.

"It is not due to a lack of effort or commitment, because the government and the private sector are trying to reposition Freeport as a major destination. It is just taking longer than expected," he said.

Sawyer told Guardian Business when the demand for a destination increases, it brings more airlift which results in lower fares. "The real answer is to create more brand awareness in the marketplace, particularly to Florida. What happens after that is the amount of airlift increases, and the prices tend to be more competitive," he said.

Sawyer is not the only individual with concerns on the matter. According to Minister of Tourism Obie Wilchcombe, owners of the airport company are also dissatisfied with the profitability of their investments in Freeport which includes GBIA.

In a meeting with the House of Assembly last December the minister said, "The executives of Hutchison Port Holdings and CK Property Holdings stated that they shared some of the same concerns raised by the government.

"They indicated that more airlift and marketing were needed to make the properties profitable, notwithstanding the major efforts being made in this regard by the Ministry of Tourism," Wilchcombe said. "They had invested $1 billion in Freeport and had not realized a satisfactory return on their investment," he added.

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