The Tribune

Dear Editor,

The runway concerns at North Eleuthera Airport demand a clear answer: What protects passengers and crews while repairs are being arranged?

The Ministry of Works and Family Island Affairs stated on October 2 that emergency repairs aim to restore “safe operating conditions for aircraft as quickly as possible”. Identifying the problem and arranging repairs are welcome steps. But a repair programme does not, by itself, establish that operations can safely continue until the work is completed.

The Civil Aviation Authority of The Bahamas and the airport operator should explain what inspections established, what immediate protective measures followed, and what restrictions or formal notices to pilots apply. If flights continue, what documented safety assessment supports them?

I have not verified whether a relevant Notice to Airmen (NOTAM) has been issued or what regulatory action has occurred. I therefore make no allegation of inaction. I am asking for an accountable explanation of the response to a publicly acknowledged safety concern.

Responsibility also needs clarification. Island Airport Development Partners, the consortium publicly associated with North Eleuthera’s airport concession, should be included in that explanation. Has it assumed operational and maintenance responsibility, and which runway obligations remain with the Government or Airport Authority? Who must arrange and fund the repairs, and who is responsible for immediate protective measures? These responsibilities may be divided, but the public should not have to guess how.

The Ministry’s engineers and Bahamas Striping Group of Companies have important roles in assessing and repairing the runway pavement. Their involvement does not, by itself, establish the allocation of contractual responsibility or replace regulatory oversight.

Airlines also retain their own responsibility. Where a serious hazard cannot be adequately controlled, affected operations should stop immediately. A future suspension date is not a safety justification for flights today.

The Bahamas already has a civil aviation regulatory framework. The question is whether its requirements are being applied effectively. Certification must be supported by continuing inspections, maintenance and corrective action. Completed repairs must undergo the verification appropriate to the work before affected areas return to service.

I have consistently advocated prevention and action on accident investigation recommendations. Credible warnings must produce timely protective action. We should not need another accident to demonstrate the significance of a warning already received.

Confidence in a robust aviation system is earned through demonstrable oversight. North Eleuthera offers an opportunity to show that system is working. Identify the hazard, clarify responsibility, protect airport users, correct the defect and verify the result.

The public deserves to know what is being done to keep flights safe now.

Yours faithfully

Captain Randy L. Butler

Principal consultant

Aviation Safety and Security Consultants Ltd