Operations at the Lynden Pindling International Airport (LPIA) are reportedly back to normal, despite its radar being down for maintenance.  Shonalee Johnson, communications manager at the Nassau Airport Development Company (NAD), told Guardian Business that flights at LPIA have not experienced major delays. Earlier this week, significant delays were reported as the radar undergoes major repairs.

With the radar down, staff at LPIA are relying on pilot reports from other airlines to guide the carriers into Nassau, according to Roscoe Perpall, president of the Bahamas Air Traffic Controllers Union (BATCU). The process is less exact and takes more time, he explained, leading to delays for thousands of tourists.  Darrell Richardson, the CEO of Silver Airways, noted that his airline has not been experiencing any major delays and doesn't anticipate the radar maintenance negatively impacting their business.

"I have not seen a lot of delays coming out of there. So far, we haven't experienced any problems. The radar is very important, there's no doubt about it. You fly at a less standard than when the radar is up and running. So far, our flights have gotten in and out ok," according to Richardson.  "I don't believe that our flights will be affected as we service the Family Islands and not Nassau. Our flights are controlled by a radar based out of Miami, so although it's unfortunate that the radar is down, this shouldn't impact our business negatively."

JetBlue's General Manager Alan Sweeting said that flights experienced little delays as a result of the radar's maintenance, except for Tuesday.  "We haven't had any impact as a result of the radar on Wednesday or Thursday. But certainly on Tuesday, we had major impact where we were taking an hour and half delays at the gate. That's the only time we were impacted," Sweeting explained.
Sweeting emphasized the radar's significance in operations at the airport, particularly in the work of the air traffic controllers.

"From an Air Traffic Controllers (ATC) standpoint, it is very important because it helps them to separate traffic more efficiently and effectively. Without the radar, things will move at a slower pace," he added.  Captain Patrick Rolle, director of civil aviation, told Guardian Business that the radar has been undergoing maintenance since Tuesday, as the gear box on the antenna reportedly went down.
However, the radar is expected to be back up and running by noon today.  He further revealed the radar was not down the entire time but was strategically cut off during certain periods throughout the day.

"On Tuesday and Wednesday, the radar was out of service from 7:00 a.m.-7:00 p.m. and on Thursday and Friday, it is expected to be down from 7:00 a.m.-12 noon. Right now, the team is doing its final maintenance checks before the radar is fully operational by the end of Friday," Captain Rolle added.

Meanwhile, the downed radar elevated the need to purchase new equipment. Earlier this week, Perpall told Guardian Business that the airport is now accepting bids. He noted that anywhere from $15 million to $17 million has been earmarked for the radar out of the Inter-American Development Bank's (IDB) $50 million for works at the airport.

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