Published On:Friday, August 27, 2010

By NOELLE NICOLLS

Tribune Staff Reporter

nnicolls@tribunemedia.net

OPERATORS of the high end executive airport Odyssey Aviation Bahamas have assumed management responsibility for the Airport Authority owned charter airport, General Aviation Centre (GAC).

Phoenix Aviation was granted the contract after successfully completing a tender process issued by the Nassau Airport Development Company (NAD). They took over operations on August 9, after initially being asked to begin at the start of the month.

"We are now managing the facility, taking over from NAD. The name will remain the same and the focus will (still) be catering to locals. Our main focus is to bring up the standard of operation and to improve services," said Anthony Hinsey, Odyssey manager.

He is a member of the team leading the management transition at GAC.

Over the past decade, the management of GAC has changed hands several times. According to John Spinks, vice president of Commercial Development at NAD, Airport Authority managed the facility at one time, and so did the Civil Aviation Department. It was turned over to NAD in 2007.

Mr Spinks said the expertise of NAD is managing and operating airports and not general aviation. He said the decision was made to bring on specialists in the form of a private management company. Phoenix Aviation is owned by a group of Bahamians, including William Michael Holowesko, general manager, and Steven Kelly, president.

Sarah Thompson, officer in charge of Customs at GAC, said, "We are all excited to see the outcome" of the change in management. She said a lot of improvements are already visible, like the physical renovations to the inside of the building that "was run down."

She said there were "no rules and regulations" at the facility before, and "there was no airport manager," so she looked forward to the changes.

Pilots who operate from GAC said they were not informed by NAD of the change in management. One pilot said "we were hearing in the air," but knowledge of the official decision did not come until "we saw them come here doing the work."

"I suspect there will be changes that affect us," said the pilot. He said there was a meeting with pilots and aircraft owners and management scheduled for today.

Debra Lambert, the new station manager, said "fees will go up slightly"; and other changes are likely to come.

According to some industry players, the new managers are inheriting many challenges at GAC. One seasoned aviation professional said there are not adequate security measures at GAC to prevent unaccompanied passengers from gaining access to the domestic departure section of the commercial airport.

This, he said, may be in violation of the regulations set by the US Transportation Security Administration and the Department of Homeland Security.

"The airport perimeter is supposed to be secure. You can't secure one part and not secure another. You can move between them freely. The way how the people have been let out on the ramp is the danger because they do not have the appropriate security apparatus," he said.

Changes are already being implemented that will restructure the way in which passengers and flight crew access the ramp area, where airplanes are located.

"When we took over, we thought we should model our facility (at Odyssey) for better control," said Mr Hinsey, of the security concern identified by management.

A new common area is currently under construction. Passengers will soon be required to move from the non-restricted waiting area through a "control door" with a buzzer system into a common room, which will be monitored by security cameras and other mechanism that are being installed.

From the common area, passengers will pass through another control door to access the "S-side" or ramp area, where only accompanied passengers are allowed, said Mr Hinsey.

Unlike before, "anyone wishing to board an aircraft has to access the S-side through the facility." A fenced in walkway around the side of the terminal building currently serves as the accessway. A security guard sits by the rusted fence to monitor passengers.

Tribune sources say, the airport managers will also have to tackle the problem of "hackers," or illegal operators of private charters.

"They do this blatantly in the face of authorities," said a source. He claimed "80 per cent" of the unauthorised activity occurs with flights to San Andros Airport in North Andros.

"The high end hackers go to Odyssey; the more executive ones go there. The natives go to General Aviation, because they won't allow them in the other places, but it goes on at both places," he said.

A hacker typically refers to a pilot who operates a private charter flight without the required licenses, permits or certifications. In some cases a pilot might have the proper certification, but the aircraft might not, or vice versa.

Mr Hinsey said "it wouldn't be fair for me to say (those) activities are factual" at this time, since the new management team is still in the early stages of transition, and they are currently conducting "assessments."