The Tribune

A private charter operator is hoping to meet with the new Nassau Airport Development Company (NAD) Board so he can plead the case for his lease to be reinstated.

Cameron Roach, president of Golden Wings Charter, told Tribune Business there has been no further communication between himself and the Lynden Pindling International Airport (LPIA) operator since he was asked to vacate his hangar at The Bahamas’ major aviation gateway. He is, however, hoping for a more favourable response from the new Board.

“Nothing has happened. Nothing has changed. We are out. Just a few days ago I got an e-mail from NAD asking if we were in fact out, because they had said that the mechanics are still in the hangar,” he said. “I told them you told us to stay out, and so we stayed out and now NAD has to deal with that.”

Mr Roach said he and his company had to vacate the maintenance hangar they operated for over 18 years at the Jet Nassau portion of LPIA because their lease with NAD was not renewed. After a lengthy negotiation process that lasted for over two years, no agreement on the renewal was reached

“I haven’t heard anything from anybody as of late. No responses from anybody,” Mr Roach added, noting that Golden Wings left the hangar at the end of November. “As far as I know the new board at NAD has not been formed, so right now nothing is happening at all.”

Mr Roach explained that because he no longer has access to the hangar, Golden Wings has to outsource the maintenance of its aircraft to other companies. “This doesn’t affect my charter business in any way as I always do my maintenance on my own aircraft,” he added

“We still receive our passengers through Jet Nassau, which used to be called Executive Flight Support. So we’re still doing that. We just don’t have our storage facility for our maintenance guys to keep our parts to do our routine maintenance. But we’re still operating out there, and then we have to now use somebody else who is, ironically, using our old building because NAD hasn’t kicked them out.”

Mechanics are still operating from the hangar, and Mr Roach said: “I’m hoping that when the new Board comes in we can plead our case to the new Board and see what happens from there.

“I don’t think the new Board will ask us for any added assurance. NAD obviously has an agreement with somebody else and they are sticking with that; they are not asking us for anything.

“While there are mechanics in the old hangar, I don’t think they are going to be leasing it from NAD. I think there’s going to be another operator like an airline. That is what I was told from NAD.”