NASSAU, BAHAMAS — The United States Department of Transportation has rejected a discrimination complaint by Airlines for America that the Bahamian government employs unfair practices when charging overflight fees to US airlines.

Deputy Prime Minister Chester Cooper, with responsibility for Tourism, Aviation, and Investments said: "The DoT recognized the sovereignty of The Bahamas to charge these fees and collect them. The DoT raised questions about the methodology used to assess the fees and is seeking to have a clearer understanding of the matter through bilateral consultation at the state level under the provisions of the Air Transport Agreement that exists between The Bahamas and the US. We expect these consultations will begin within 60 days."

He added: "We are pleased by the recognition of The Bahamas' sovereignty in this matter and we are happy to enter into consultations with the US Government as we continue to strengthen our partnership. We will continue to work with our airline partners to make doing business with The Bahamas a mutually rewarding experience."

Back in December, the Airlines for America group alleged that "unjustifiable, unreasonably discriminatory, anticompetitive and unreasonable charges" were being levied against its member airlines by The Bahamas.

The Airlines for America (A4A) alleged that the overflight fees being levied by The Bahamas violate the Air Transport Agreement (ATA) between this nation and the United States. A4A asserted that The Bahamas is charging "astronomical" fees for air navigation services that far exceed the cost of providing those services.

The government signed an air navigation services agreement with a civil aviation regulator, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), in 2021 to oversee the payment of fees from aircraft coming into the country.

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