NASSAU, Bahamas — The government signed 10 air service agreements (ASAs) and seven memoranda of understanding (MOUs) at the International Civil Aviation Organization’s negotiating event, ICAN 2018, in Nairobi, Kenya over five days, according to a press statement on the matter, the Nassau Guardian reported on December 17, noting that the government expects these deals to spur economic growth in The Bahamas.
The eleventh ICAN2018), held from December 10 – 14, was hosted by the Kenya Civil Aviation Authority (KCAA).
Minister of Tourism and Aviation Dionisio D’Aguilar led a delegation of ministry officials to the negotiations for the ASAs and MOUs.
“The Bahamas conducted some 24 meetings over the five-day period,” the statement revealed. “This brings a sum total of 19 officially signed ASAs and 18 MOUs between The Bahamas and other countries to date. It is expected that ASAs will be concluded in the near future with those countries with whom MOUs were signed.”
The statement explained that D’Aguilar expects these agreements to pave the way for the aviation sector in The Bahamas to grow. He added that attending the conference and signing the agreements “is an efficient and cost-effective way to facilitate the commencement of air service to The Bahamas by airlines domiciled in the countries with whom the agreements were signed.”
According to the statement, The Bahamas officially signed MOUs with Turkey, Germany, Greece, Morocco, Saudi Arabia, Colombia and Ghana. The officially signed ASAs were with Kenya, Jamaica, Malaysia, Rwanda, Dominican Republic, Chile, Nigeria, Spain, Switzerland and Seychelles.
“Productive discussions were also held with Guyana and Tanzania, resulting in both countries and The Bahamas initialing agreed minutes,” the statement noted. “Additional fruitful meetings were also held with the United States, United Kingdom, the Republic of Korea (South Korea) and the International Air Transport Association (IATA).
“These air service agreements provide financial incentives and internationally agreed rules and regulations which govern how a foreign carrier from a specific country can provide service to The Bahamas, either directly or via a code share arrangement,” the statement pointed out.
