The Tribune

By LYNAIRE MUUNNINGS

Tribune Staff Reporter

lmunnings@tribunemedia.net

BAHAMASAIR and the Bahamasair Airline Pilots Association (BALPA) on Friday signed a five-year industrial agreement valued at $500k, that increases the retirement age to 65 along with salary increases, navigation production pay, and other benefits.

The new agreement is retroactive and expires in 2027.

Over 68 Bahamasair pilots are expected to benefit from the new agreement, which replaces the previous contract that expired in December 2022.

“It isn't the fact that this is a brand-new contract,” said Tracy Cooper, Bahamasair Managing Director. “It is just an updated contract and so there have always been items in the contract that are beneficial for the pilots to make sure everything is fine with them.

“Obviously the whole time, the ability for sick days, the ability for navigation production pay, a few other items that are inside the agreement, but it is just an updating of the contract that we would have had prior.”

Mr Cooper said the company is elated to have finally signed the agreement.

Given the increase in the retirement age from 60 to 65, Bahamasair’s Chairperson, Tanya Pratt, called the renewed agreement a special day as she revealed that some recently retired pilots will be engaged on a contractual basis.

The national flag carrier's decision to lift its long-standing mandatory pilot retirement age of 60 by five years will ensure smoother succession and prevent a pilot shortage.

“This is indeed a special day for all of us here at the table. It speaks to the strength of negotiation, it speaks to the level of respect that we have for each other. It also speaks to the fact that we all have one common goal and that is for the betterment of our staff and by extension, the company and so we're so happy to be here today,” she said during a press conference on Friday.

Mark Johnson, BALPA President, expressed gratitude, commending management for the ability to negotiate in a professional manner.