Llewellyn Boyer-Cartwright, a 29-year veteran of the aviation industry who specialises in Aviation Law, this month became the first Bahamian to be admitted to the Lawyer Pilots Bar Association, an international organisation dedicated to airline and aircraft safety and legal issues surrounding the aviation industry. (Photo by Roland Rose for DP&A.)

Nassau, Bahamas - Llewellyn Boyer-Cartwright, a 29-year veteran of the aviation industry who specialises in Aviation Law, this month became the first Bahamian to be admitted to the Lawyer Pilots Bar Association, an international organisation dedicated to airline and aircraft safety and legal issues surrounding the aviation industry.

"This is not only a personal honour for me, but an opportunity for The Bahamas to participate in a meaningful way to the growing body of aviation law governing an industry critical to our economy," said Boyer-Cartwright, a Senior Associate with Callenders & Co. Law Firm, the country's oldest law firm. "Most of us think of aviation only when we are making travel plans. We voice our frustration about paying for extras or delayed departures or our pleasure at on-time arrivals. We do not stop to think about everything that went into making that flight among thousands a day even possible, not the engineering of the aircraft but the engineering, so to speak, of the rules governing the sky and operations onthe ground even before an aircraft leaves the gate. In conjunction with ICAO (International Civil Aviation Organization), there is an increasing body of law that strives to ensure safety in the skies and on the ground, regulates airports, sets parameters for flight and pilot standards, airworthiness of aircraft, manages the framework for currency exchanges between airlines criss-crossing continents, looks at every aspect of insurability, responsibility and liability in addition to matters like aircraft registries. It's the law that, figuratively speaking, keeps the airline industry -- commercial, corporate and private -- grounded in the finest sense of the word."  

Boyer-Cartwright's appointment to the association is a natural. A pilot who flew for Bahamasair among other carriers for some 15 years, went to law school, went back to flying, returned to graduate school to be formally trained in the discipline that had been his passion, Boyer-Cartwright's feet are firmly planted on the ground these days, landing more airline business for The Bahamas, including a major carrier whose name he will not disclose.

"It is good business for this country in more ways than one," he says, "and while this particular airline does not serve The Bahamas at this time, we hope that will change. It is important for us to create the best possible environment to attract more airlift and to satisfy the evolving requirements of high net worth individuals who wish to register their private aircraft offshore. In the past, The Bahamas has focused on resorts, attractions, excursions, the tourism offerings or product once visitors arrive. We have started to take seriously the steps of what we can do to show friendly skies long before the routes are finalized and I am proud that Callenders & Co. is contributing to that effort."