US Embassy Charge d'Affaires Usha Pitts and Minister of Tourism and Aviation the Hon. Dionisio D'Aguilar are pictured at the ceremonial signing of the historic Air Navigation Services Agreement between the newly created Bahamas Air Navigation Services Authority and the United States Federal Aviation Administration, May 5, 2021 at the Cabinet Office. (BIS Photo/Patrick Hanna)
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CEREMONIAL SIGNING
OF
AIR NAVIGATION SERVICES AGREEMENT
BETWEEN
BAHAMAS AIR NAVIGATION SERVICES AUTHORITY
AND
FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION
5 MAY 2021
OFFICIAL REMARKS
DIONISIO J. D’AGUILAR
MINISTER OF TOURISM AND AVIATION
NASSAU, BAHAMAS
Cabinet Colleagues
Parliamentary Colleagues
Senior Government Officials
Charge D’Affaires and other officials from the US Embassy Officials from the FAA
Officials from ICAO
Members of the Press
Ladies and Gentlemen
Good afternoon!
Simply put this is a historic day in the Commonwealth of The Bahamas!
Today, we are about to conduct a ceremonial signing of a historic Air Navigation Services Agreement between the newly created Bahamas Air Navigation Services Authority and the United States Federal Aviation Administration.
Today, we conclude decades upon decades of talks between The Bahamas and the United States about the management of the sovereign airspace of The Bahamas.
Today, The Bahamas will assume, for the very first time, the management of its sovereign airspace.
Commencing 1 May 2021, aircraft landing in and departing out of the sovereign airspace of the Bahamas, aircraft flying solely within the sovereign airspace of the Bahamas, and aircraft flying OVER the sovereign airspace of the Bahamas will start, for the very first time, to pay fees to an entity solely owned and operated by the Government of The Bahamas.
Ladies and Gentlemen, for that reason, this air navigation services agreement is historic. Never before in the history of an independent Bahamas has anyone paid anything to the Government of The Bahamas for the use of its airspace.
Today, that changes!
...TO CONTINUE SEE ATTACHED
