Canada And The Bahamas Sign Air Services Agreement

NASSAU, The Bahamas, July 18, 2019 (CMC) – Canada and the Bahamas recently signed a bilateral air transport agreement that the Bahamian government says will encourage more Canadian aviation companies to establish a presence in the country.

Bahamian Tourism and Aviation Minister, Dionisio D’Aguilar, said the agreement also allows the country’s aviation companies to take advantage of economic opportunities in Canada.

“This agreement solidifies our relationship with Canada, as it relates to aviation. And so, this agreement sets out the steps, by which aviation companies can do business in The Bahamas and the steps where Bahamian companies can do business in Canada,” he said.

Canadians are the second largest number of visitors to the Caribbean country, with official figures showing that an estimated half a million Canadians arrive, here, annually.

Canada’s High Commissioner, Laurie Peters, said the agreement further cements the ties between the two countries.

“It is an emblem of the long-standing relationship between the Commonwealth Of The Bahamas and Canada, and also marks a new era of engagement. We have long been people-to-people friends. Many Canadians have flocked to your shores and I think that this agreement will further strengthen our ties and create more opportunities.

“We know that the traditional carriers have low-cost, little-cousins to expand in the region, and there seems to be no end in sight to the Canadian cold winter and, hopefully, there will be lots of demand that this agreement would allow us to respond with,” the diplomat added.

Air Canada and West Jet are currently the two major airlines that fly into The Bahamas, from destinations such as Toronto, Montreal and Cadbury, and D’Aguilar said it’s hoped that more aviation companies, from other destinations, will begin utilising the route.

“As companies grow and expand, the regulatory framework is in place. It is the fastest growing segment coming to The Bahamas. So whatever we can do to keep that ball rolling and keep the commerce between our two countries…it’s important that we take steps, such as this…We are grateful to the people and the government of Canada for agreeing to do this, and we are happy that it is finally done,” he said.

This is the latest in a series of air service agreements Nassau has inked over the past few months.

Last year, it signed aviation agreements with The Netherlands, Turkey, Saudi Arabia and a number of African and European countries.