11242025 BUSINESS

No aviation fee rise pledge amid ‘backdoor tax’ fears

By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net

THE Bahamian aviation regulator’s chairman says he does not “foresee any increases in fees in the foreseeable future” as he moved to ease industry fears over proposed new and increased charges that participants are already branding as “backdoor taxation”.

Devard Francis, head of the Civil Aviation Authority of The Bahamas' Board, told Tribune Business that the proposed fee revisions - obtained and reported on by this newspaper last week - will “definitely not” be implemented come January 2026 which is when the initial round of consultation with the Bahamian aviation industry is set to close.

Signalling that more discussions will likely be required following the present January 6, 2026,

• Civil Aviation chair reassures on new, increased charges

• Impossible for industry to ‘assess fairness and necessity’

• Concern Bahamians ‘will end up paying’ in higher air fares

deadline for the Civil Aviation Authority of The Bahamas (CAA-B) to receive feedback from the sector on the proposals, Mr Francis said: “We’re not raising any fees now. We want to consult some more. We’re not raising any fees right now. I don’t foresee that happening on January 6.

“This is purely to consult the industry first. We want to talk with them first so that they can provide comments. We’re not raising any fees right now. Definitely not in January.

I don’t see that happening very soon or in the near future. We just want to have a conversation, talk with all the stakeholders and have a fruitful discussion.

“Even then I foresee us having more consultation with the stakeholders. I don’t foresee anything in the foreseeable future from us to do any increase right now.” Mr Francis was responding to Tribune Business inquiries amid aviation industry fears that the CAA-B proposals, while seemingly benign

when viewed in isolation, merely represent the latest in an onslaught of new and increased fees and charges coming at the sector from every angle.

Captain Randy Butler, the former Sky Bahamas chief, highlighted this and other aviation industry concerns in a November 19, 2025, letter to Chequita Johnson, the Civil Aviation director-general, where he urged the regulator to justify the new and increased fee proposals by setting out how they were calculated and arrived at.

He argued that, according to the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), the global industry regulator, aviation-related fees and charges must be “directly tied to the cost of providing the service”. In other words, they must be determined on a ‘cost recovery’ basis rather than viewed

Pintard slams ‘outrageous’ $20m into ‘shell company’

By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net

THE Opposition’s leader yesterday told the Prime Minister it is “outrageous and unacceptable” that the amount of Bahamian taxpayer funds injected into “what appears to be a shell company” doubled to more than $20m during the three months to end-September without any Government explanation.

Michael Pintard, in a November 23, 2025, letter to Philip Davis KC demanded that his administration give “a fulsome explanation” on the financing and

circumstances surrounding Carmichael Village Project Development Company after the Ministry of Finance’s just-published debt report for the

FLIGHT - See Page B7 BORROWING - See Page B8

Chamber labour chief urges: Target 5-6% unemployment

By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor

THE Chamber of Commerce’s labour division chief is calling for The Bahamas to cut the unemployment rate in half and slash it further to 5-6 percent after the number of jobless persons fell by almost 3,500 during the 2025 second quarter.

Peter Goudie, hailing the 1.5 percentage point fall in the national unemployment rate to 9.3 percent for the three months to end-June 2025, as opposed to 10.8 percent during the previous quarter, told Tribune Business that this nation must push for an even bigger decrease in the jobless rate if it is to tackle long-standing issues of poverty, inequality and crime. While acknowledging that the 3,455 decline in the jobless numbers is a big boost for a small economy such as The Bahamas, he added that the 20 percent youth unemployment ratemeaning one in five young

- See Page B8

‘Life threatening illness’ focus for new hospital plan

By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net

A PROMINENT Bahamian medical practice is seeking to expand its ability to treat “life-threatening catastrophic illnesses” through the development of a multi-floor hospital at the junction of Collins Avenue and Sixth Terrace. Dr Conville Brown, principal of The Bahamas Heart Centre, Cancer Centre Bahamas and The Medical Pavilion Bahamas, told Tribune Business that the proposed hospital

- for which the Town Planning Committee will hold a public consultation on December 11 - will enable his practice to offer in-patient overnight care for the first time ever.

The specialist hospital, which will be focused on providing care and treatment for heart disease, kidney disease and cancer, will occupy six floors in Dr Brown’s own CSB5 Collins on Sixth Commercial Complex and be known as the Collins on Sixth hospital - part of what is being

Ingraham says he told Brown to ‘wait for the big dance’

By-elections have historically favoured the governing party. Political observers will watch the vote closely to assess what it may say about the public’s mood heading into the upcoming general election, which must be held before next October. Turn-out is likely to be crucial, explaining why campaigning over recent weeks has been so intense. The result will likely be known by early evening.

Mr Ingraham revealed on Friday that he initially advised Mr Brown not to run. His comment came after weeks of uncertainty about whether the opposition would even contest the race.

“When the election came along, you know, I spoke to him,” Mr Ingraham told supporters. “I told him to let it pass, to wait for the big dance. But no, he said he couldn’t wait. He said he loves you and he is in love with you. He wasn’t gonna take the chance and let you get nobody else’s hands. So I said, go for it, go for it. He went for it.”

His caution mirrored what The Tribune reported in 2023: that Michael Pintard told FNM council members in 2023 that Mr Ingraham advised against contesting the West End and Bimini by-election

because such races historically favour the PLP. The FNM ran Bishop Ricardo Grant anyway, and he lost to Kingsley Smith.

Mr Ingraham framed today’s contest as both a referendum on the Davis administration and a chance for the FNM to regain ground in a constituency he feels has been “overlooked”.

“If you choose to vote for the PLP again this election, it means you like bad treatment,” he said. “Some people like bad treatment. I don’t believe you like bad treatment.”

Despite urging Mr Brown to sit out, Mr Ingraham praised him as a grounded candidate with long-standing ties to the community, comparing him to former Adelaide MP Frank Watson, whom he described as a benchmark for strong representation.

He noted that nearly 2,000 people voted for Mr Brown in 2021 and said he had expected Golden Isles to be one of six New Providence seats the FNM would win, despite believing the party would lose the overall election. He said he was surprised Mr Brown did not prevail.

Mr Ingraham recalled first meeting Mr Brown in 1992, calling him a “good and decent man” who never left the constituency and shares the same “neglect” residents describe.

“I told him to let it pass, to wait for the big dance. But no, he said he couldn’t wait. He said he loves you and he is in love with you. He wasn’t gonna take the chance and let you get nobody else’s hands. So I said, go for it, go for it. He went for it.”

“He’s demonstrated all these years that he knew how to earn a decent living and become successful,” he said. “He isn’t looking for a job. He won’t be asking the FNM who comes to power for a job. If they want to use him in a job, that’s fine, but he’ll be happy just to be your MP.”

“There are so few people nowadays who come forward to run for office who are not looking for a job or looking for something, but I assure you, Brian Brown ain’t looking for nothing.”