Bahamasair “reasonably pleased” with uptick in passenger traffic

PICKING UP: Bahamasair “reasonably pleased” with uptick in passenger traffic

Natario McKenzie

Flag carrier predicting 50-60 percent recovery

“March was one of the better months since the onset of the pandemic”

NASSAU, BAHAMAS — Bahamasair Managing Director Tracy Cooper yesterday said the airline has been “reasonably pleased” with the uptick in passenger traffic both domestically and internationally, but noted “we’re not out of the woods”.

“There is no doubt that we have seen better movement of persons Bahamians and tourists alike in and around The Bahamas as well as to and from The Bahamas,” said Cooper.

Tracy Cooper

“We’re reasonably pleased with what we have been seeing. The month of March, Easter time, was one of the better months since the onset of the pandemic.

“We are not out of the woods yet by any stretch of the imagination, but we have seen some good traffic.”

Speaking to the airline’s recovery, Cooper said: “At this time, the recovery we know is probably not going to be 100 percent; everyone is predicting 50 to 60 percent of what might have been as the best outcome.

“We believe we will be somewhere in that vicinity as well. We will not be at full strength, but the intent is that any time things are moving progressively, we will see the benefits from it.”

The pandemic has resulted in a projected $50 to $60 million loss for the airline for the 12 months ending June 2021.

Later this month, Bahamasair plans to introduce additional flights into Abaco from West Palm Beach, Florida.

“Anytime we add flights to a particular location, we try to engage the stakeholders to kind of lead us along the way,” said Cooper.

“We did that by engaging with stakeholders for Abaco and they directed us to what they believed would have been to the betterment of the tourism product on the island.

“We looked at the data they provided, analyzed it and made the adjustments. We went from two flights a week into West Palm Beach and increased it to four flights a week.”