Bahamas News
Air Navigation Services Agreement ends ‘decades’ of talks; fees to be paid to Bahamas Government
#Bahamas, May 9, 2021 – Officials of the newly-created Bahamas Air Navigation Services Authority and the United States Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), Wednesday (May 5, 2021) concluded the ceremonial signing of a historic Air Navigation Services Agreement between the two entities.
Minister of Tourism and Aviation, the Hon. Dionisio D’Aguilar, said the Agreement allows the Minnis Administration to correct a “construct that left The Bahamas totally out of the loop as it relates to the management and fee collection for the use of its sovereign airspace.”
The Signing means that (commencing May 1, 2021) aircraft landing in, and departing out of the sovereign airspace of The Bahamas; aircraft flying solely within the airspace of The Bahamas, and aircraft flying over the sovereign airspace of The Bahamas, will – for the very first time – pay fees for the use of its airspace to an entity owned and operated by the Government of The Bahamas.
Officials said the signing concluded “decades upon decades’ of talks between The Bahamas and the United States about the management of the sovereign airspace of The Bahamas.
“Today, the Bahamas will assume – for the very first time – the management of its sovereign airspace,” Minister D’Aguilar said at the Signing which was attended by senior government officials from The Bahamas, senior officials from the United States Embassy, Nassau, and representatives of the Federal Aviation Administration and International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO).
“Commencing May 1, 2021, aircraft landing in and departing out of the sovereign airspace of The Bahamas, aircraft flying solely within the sovereign airspace o The Bahamas, and aircraft flying over the sovereign airspace of The Bahamas will start, for the very first time, to pay fees to an entity solely owned and operated by the Government of The Bahamas.
“For that reason, this air navigation services management agreement is historic. Never before in the history of an independent Bahamas has anyone paid anything to the Government of The Bahamas for the use of its airspace. Today, that changes,” Minister D’Aguilar added.
The Tourism and Aviation Minister said achieving the “historic milestone” was not easy. He said almost 70 years ago, Great Britain, the United States and Cuba gathered in Havana where it was decided that the provision of air navigation services over what is now the sovereign airspace of The Bahamas (The Bahamas was a colony of Great Britain at the time), would be divided between the FAA (United States) and its equivalent (ECNA) from Cuba.
He said the FAA was assigned the greatest portion of Bahamian sovereign airspace (approximately 75 per cent) in which to provide air navigation services, while the Cubans were assigned the remaining 25 per cent.
“The Bahamas was assigned nothing other than a small area around Nassau only up to 6,000 feet.” Minister D’Aguilar said.
Mr. D’Aguilar said aircraft using the sovereign airspace of The Bahamas paid fees directly to the FAA and the Cubans, and that: “once again, The Bahamas received not one red cent from this arrangement.”
“In the minds of most, right-thinking Bahamians, this arrangement was unacceptable and, since assuming office in May, 2017, this Minnis Administration, this Minister of Aviation, made it an absolute priority to conclude an Agreement, like the one today, to correct the construct that left The Bahamas totally out of the loop as it relates to the management and fee collection for the use of its sovereign airspace.”
Minister D’Aguilar said the process wasn’t easy.
“And I must say everyone was extremely skeptical that after many stops and starts, we would ever reach this point today.”
Mr. D’Aguilar said all air space user fees collected by the Government, can only be used to fund the costs of managing and operating the civil aviation system in The Bahamas – a cost, he said, that prior to the Agreement was funded solely by the taxpayers of The Bahamas.
“Funds collected from airspace users cannot be deposited into the Consolidated Fund and used for purposes other than providing a safe and well-managed aviation sector. Finally, all fees charged must, according to the United Nations Convention on Civil Aviation, Article 15, be non-discriminatory, that is, all Carriers will pay the same fee irrespective of their nationality. We could not, for example, charge one fee for Bahamian Carriers and another fee for non-Bahamian Carriers,” Mr. D’Aguilar added.
PHOTO CAPTION
US Embassy Charge d’Affaires Usha Pitts and Minister of Tourism and Aviation the Hon. Dionisio D’Aguilar are pictured at the signing ceremony for the historic Air Navigation Services Agreement between the newly-created Bahamas Air Navigation Services Authority and the United States Federal Aviation Administration, May 5, 2021 at the Cabinet Office.
By Matt Maura
(BIS Photo/Patrick Hanna)
NASSAU, Bahamas — Caribbean Bottling Company (CBC), local producers and distributors of Coca-Cola and Dasani products concluded their 10 weeklong Twist To Win campaign with four $5,000 Mall at Marathon shopping sprees.
The campaign which was available throughout the entire Bahamas allowed consumers to enter by purchasing a 20oz bottle with a yellow cap
from the following brands: Coca-Cola, Coca-Cola No Sugar, Sprite, Fanta Orange, or Fanta Grape. Each yellow-cap had a unique alpha numeric code underneath which they submitted to the Twist To Win WhatsApp number.
With each qualifying purchase, participants residing in The Bahamas were entered to win instant prizes and into a grand prize draw to win one of four $5,000 shopping sprees at the Mall at Marathon.
Participants also enjoyed exciting instant prizes such as: Airpods, JBL Speakers, premium Coca-Cola merchandise, $500 Visa gift cards and Amazon, Spotify and Apple Music digital gift cards.
Out of 76,000 plus submissions, Brian Bethel, Ashia Demeritte, Merlin Adams, and Taraceta Neely won the coveted Mall at Marathon shopping sprees at the following select stores, Kelly’s House & Home, The Sports Center, John Bull, Brass & Leather, and BTC.
Leading up to the grand finale shopping spree, Coca-Cola hosted a Trivia Showdown with the eight finalists to determine the four winners. Finalists were tested on their knowledge of World History, Pop Culture, Caribbean Bottling Company and Coca-Cola Facts!
After a few rousing rounds of trivia, the four winners were declared after each winning their spot in the shopping spree by answering their questions correctly and choosing the “Grand Prize” Coca-Cola labeled bottles at random.
The morning of the shopping spree Coca-Cola gave the winners exclusive access to the Mall at Marathon and its participating stores before
their usual operating hours. Grand prize winners were greeted with wide smiles from Coca-Cola brand representatives and morning bites before the big event.
At the start of the thirty-minute clock the grand prize winners along with each of their Coca-Cola shopping assistants ran to the various stores collecting items in their arms and carts.
Merlin Adams, a husband and father of four was proud to have executed his game-plan at the end of the shopping spree. With toys, a new phone and materials for his home from Kelly’s, Adams felt accomplished in what he gathered.
Taraceta Neely, a winner from Eleuthera collected beautiful bags for herself and relatives from Brass and Leather and Brian Bethel bought matching athletic and outdoor wear from The Sports Center for his family.
The final winner Ashia Demeritte bought linens and household items in addition to a new phone from BTC right in time for Christmas.
Caribbean Bottling Company is proud to share the real magic of Coca-Cola with the grand prize winners and the may instant prize winners across the Twist To Win campaign. For more updates on new products, promotions, and events follow www.cbcbahamas.com.
Bahamas News
The Coca-Cola Art Project Astonishes Art Lovers at The Bahamas Culinary & Arts Festival
NASSAU, Bahamas — Caribbean Bottling Company (CBC), local producers and distributors of Coca-Cola and Dasani products displayed
their astonishing Coca-Cola Art Project (CCAP), during Baha Mar’s five-day Culinary & Arts Festival. Earlier this year, Coca-Cola partnered with The University of The Bahamas’ Visual Art and Design Department for a culturally rich art competition. UB’s art students were challenged to create pieces surrounding the theme, Bahamian music.
As a result, 20 student works of art were made, with four students declared as winners at the CCAP exhibit opening in Baha Mar’s ECCHO: Art Gallery in August. To recreate the culturally stimulating magic felt at the exhibit’s premiere, the CCAP was featured at the FUZE Art Tent during The Bahamas Culinary & Arts Festival.
Nine incredible pieces of art lined the walls of the Coca-Cola Art Project, four of which included the winning pieces from Jhanaisia Cole,
with ‘Gaulin Bride’; Alyssa Pinder, with ‘Shotgun Wedding’; Nelson Gray, with ‘Untitled’; and Jaela Bowe, with the piece ‘Whims of Obeah, a Folktail’. Additionally, an intimate listening room was built. It displayed students’ artistic processes, UB Visual Art and Design representatives, and a recap of the exhibit opening for audiences.
Art enthusiasts also enjoyed premium limited-edition CCAP keepsakes at the booth. Journals which featured a collage of all 20 student submissions on the front and back cover, postcards with an art piece on the cover along with the student’s name, title, dimension and materials on the back and pens designed with the CCAP’s dynamic logo.
Throughout the art festival diverse groups of people visited the art tent taking in the displays while enjoying the artistic insights from the
listening booth.
Community and culture are always at the forefront of Caribbean Bottling Community, and it was boldly showcased during The Bahamas Culinary & Arts Festival for the third consecutive year.
For more details on the Coca-Cola Art Project, events and new products visit www.cbcbahamas.com today!
NASSAU, Bahamas — Caribbean Wines & Spirits (CWS), The Bahamas’ premier wines and spirits distributor delighted Jollification
attendees with bubbles from their Bottega and Bouvet Ladubay sparkling wines and Besserat de Bellefon champagne lines.
Located in the Monument Circle on The Retreat grounds, CWS transformed The Retreat Garden into a lush lounge with Besserat, Bouvet and their latest product addition, Bottega, during the two-day affair.
The festivities kicked off Friday during BNT Member’s Night. Guests enjoyed exclusive offerings from CWS’s catalogue, offered exclusively to members. Complimentary mixes or glasses on the rocks included El Tequileno tequila, Hard Truth whiskey, House of Angostura rum, Cross Keys gin, Nemiroff vodka and a slew of wines such as Fonesca Bin, Bottega and Besserat.
Guests also savored the ‘Jolly Paloma’ cocktail, an instant favorite made with El Tequileno tequila, Schweppes Grapefruit and Domaine de Paris rose wine. To end the night, guests were treated to branded limited-edition wine tumblers as keepsakes.
On Saturday and Sunday, Jollification attendees delighted in glasses or bottles of champagne and sparkling brut or rosé wines while taking
in the comfort of the chic lounge. In addition to purchasing bottles for onsite consumption, consumers were also able to purchase bottles as gifts whether for themselves or someone special.
The sophisticated “bubble lounge” lounge was decked with velvet couches, gold rimmed cocktail tables, blue and pink pillows, and a white floral branded backdrop created for capturing the perfect picture.
Caribbean Wines & Spirits, a historic partner of the Bahamas National Trust was pleased to support Jollification 2025 to kick off the festive season and share their expansive range of spirits.
To keep up to date with all CWS products and events, visit their website at www.cwsbahamas.com today.
