Sunwing Airlines made its first landing in Nassau from Toronto on November 3, promising healthy passenger loads and looking for the opportunity to extend routes to the Family Islands.  

Lawrence Elliott, Sunwing’s vice president of Business and Corporate Affairs, said the company is very aggressive.  He said it was reasonable to expect Sunwing’s flights into Nassau to have at least 90 percent load factors.  The inaugural flight came with a full aircraft of 189 passengers.  

“I go back a long way with the Bahamas,” he said. “You need a passion about what you do but business is business. We have a plan that we will operate and are committed to operate twice weekly right through to the next year with our Boeing 737-800, 189 seats, and we will meet that commitment. But we have a longer term goal.  Because an ad in the newspaper, a 30-second spot on the radio, whatever we do, it costs the same if you have got two flights per week or you are operating four flights per week. So it’s about numbers to us.”  

Mr. Elliott said Sunwing is already exploring the possibility of sending flights other island in The Bahamas.  

“We have had discussions with the Ministry of Tourism about expanding outside of New Providence, outside of Nassau,” he said. “As soon as this coming week in London, I will be meeting with the Minister, Vincent Vanderpool-Wallace, as well as (Tourism Director General) David Johnson in London at World Travel Market and we will be picking up with discussions that we already had about a year ago about looking at other destinations within the islands of The Bahamas.”  

While welcoming the flight to Nassau, Minister of Public Works and Transport Neko Grant told Sunwing officials and Canadian journalists about the many public works that have recently been completed and some that are near completion in Nassau.  He pointed out that the upgrading of Lynden Pindling International Airport and the construction of a new airport gateway highway are well underway.  

Minister Grant also said that downtown Nassau is being rehabilitated, including the renovations of Parliament buildings and the construction of a new Straw Market, which will soon be opened.  

“Outside of Nassau, Freeport, Grand Bahama boasts excellent airport facilities and infrastructure,” Minister Grant said. “Recent substantive airside improvements were completed at Marsh Harbour Airport, Abaco and presently at this airport, a new control tower, fire crash facility and a 40,000 square foot terminal to accommodate a projected 15-year growth is under construction.”  

The airport at Moss Town, Exuma was recently renovated and expanded, and other airports in the Family Islands are also on target for improvements in a continued effort to upgrade infrastructure, Minister Grant said.