Dear Honourable Prime Minister, Members of Cabinet, Government Officials, Media & News Outlets and distinguished readers,

We, the citizens on Staniel Cay, business owners, foreign homeowners, and Managers/owners of private islands in the Exuma Cays wish to express our strongest opposition to the decision to shut down the Staniel Cay runway.

We stand united on this issue for many reasons, which we will summarize below.

1) The airport at Staniel Cay is the life blood of the community and the Central Exuma Cays, and cutting this vital artery in the middle of the busy season should never have been done. No one denies that this airport is in need of some repairs. What is at issue is that simple patching could be completed in a matter of days, at minimum cost and with minimum effect on the local economy (the residents have made these patches numerous times in the past and they have been very effective in smoothing out the ruts and holes for a period of time). The full resurfacing of the runway, raising the crown, adding lights, etc. could be scheduled for the offseason (any time from approximately mid-August until mid-November). This course of action is logical, whereas the current situation is devastating to the Staniel Cay economy and all local businesses. Cancelations for hotels and rental homes are happening every day. Yachts who were able to meet their private plane at Staniel, have changed their plans and are not coming to the area. Already, in the week since the runway was closed, the local economy has lost hundreds of thousands of dollars and the trickledown effect on local boat rentals, cart rentals, stores, guides, etc is significant and devastating!

2) The Staniel Cay airport is also vital to all the inhabited islands in the Central Exuma Cays, from Staniel Cay north to Wardrick Wells. These include Fowl Cay (Fowl Cay Resort), Little Sampson Cay, Big Sampson Cay, Overyonder Cay (a private island resort), Little Pipe Cay, Hatti Cay, Joe Cay, Compass Cay (Compass Cay Marina), Bell Island, Little Halls Pond Cay, Soldier Cay (a private island resort) and Warderick Wells (Exuma Land and Sea Park Headquarters). The idea that Black Point airport is a close substitute to Staniel Cay and therefore easy to access is COMPLETELY UNFOUNDED AND FALSE. Black Point is 5 miles south/southeast of Staniel Cay. The boat ride can be treacherous in bad weather or bad light. Furthermore, this adds at significant time and cost to every trip to the airstrip….whether to pick up guests or vital supplies. Couple this with no viable water taxi service and ZERO licensed taxis on Black Point and it is plain to see the HUGE inconvenience and increased cost that the current situation is presenting.

3) With the airport at Staniel Cay closed, people’s safety and well-being is a major concern. We have elderly and infirm residents on Staniel Cay, as well as infants. The same on private islands and the numerous yachts in the area. In a medical emergency, how can they get the necessary care? At least once every month (maybe even more) the need arises to fly critically sick or injured people out of Staniel Cay in an emergency…whether by private plane or air ambulance. These flights have saved lives in recent years. In these emergencies, people should not be forced to boat an extra 5 miles (quite possibly at night or in bad weather) all the way to Black Point. A rough boat ride to Blackpoint and a further pickup truck ride to the airport is not an acceptable answer in an emergency. The nurse (Karen Rolle) at Staniel raised exactly this concern in the community meeting which was held on Saturday. In these sorts of emergencies, it is common knowledge that time is of the essence and every minute matters. This is why the airport at Staniel Cay should only be closed as an absolute necessity and only for the absolute minimum amount of time needed to effect repairs. Shutting it down in the way that was done showed absolutely no care for the residents, private island residents and visitors, and demonstrated a shocking lack of planning and understanding in this regard. This decision to shut down the airport at Staniel was therefore RECKLESS as it puts residents and visitors at greater risk in the event of an emergency. It was said at the meeting that this risk is mitigated because they would “allow Air ambulances to land at Staniel Cay in the event of emergency”. But this will not work because the company that owns the air ambulance would be landing in an airport that has been officially “closed” and deemed “unsafe”. Thus, their insurance would not cover them if something should happen and of course they will not be willing to accept this potential liability. Furthermore, most emergency flights out of Staniel Cay are made by private planes that are already on the scene. Several locals and residents keep planes there. This saves valuable time in terms of getting the patient to the hospital, and in turn saves lives. Getting an air ambulance versus using a plane that is already on the ground in Staniel adds approximately 1.5 hours….and these are hours that might mean the difference between life and death.

With some time for planning, many of these issues, while not eliminated, can be at least mitigated. But in order to make adequate arrangements, a few months are needed. A quick fix (patching the worst holes to make the runway safe and useable through the season) with the major work to be completed in the off-season will allow time for planning and for mobilization. It will allow for appropriate water taxi and ground transportation to be organized. It will allow for the setting of a firm date for the start of the project and a firm timeline for completion. It will therefore minimize the total amount of time that the runway is inoperable. This will help mitigate safety and transportation concerns and also minimize the impact on the local economy by enabling the Staniel Cay airport to remain open for the remainder of the busy season.

Minister Hanna recently spoke to the Nassau Guardian saying that the repairs would take about 2 month and 1 million dollars to fix. Why not start at around August 6th and finish around October 6th in an effort to come during the lowest season in the area. We've had pilots from the AOPAtake notice, we've heard pilots on their radios saying what a shame it is that the airport is closed and they opted to go to North Eleuthera instead. As I'm sure BOIPM can point out Staniel Cay is blessed to have countless repeat and very loyal guests. Millionaires who could be anywhere in the world decide to come to our 1x2 miler every year and book a year in advance just to ensure they have their spot in paradise. Our phones are ringing off the hook because these same loyal guests are canceling their trips because what was once a convenient vacation is now not only less convenient, but more expensive. Why? These guests now have to pay approximately $20 dollars to get from the airport to the dock and $50 to get to and from Staniel Cay per person. So our families of four are charged with an extra $200-$300 to enjoy the place they have as their second home. Some of the local hotels are footing the bill, but not everyone can do that and still make a profit.

Wouldn't it have been nice for the Ministry to hire the locals to do the land and water transportation and pay for what you find to be a necessary inconvenience? We think it would be the least you could do considering it all.

Minister Hanna also said that the airport was deemed unsafe for flying. Well, we recently had a boating accident leaving two people with head injuries in the Fowl Cay area. Rather than just having to come a few miles away to Staniel, they had to go all the way up to Black Point to be airlifted. It is only a few miles away is it? A few miles could mean life or death and also depending on the weather a few miles can take up to an hour for a safe journey.

Honestly we are asking you to look at what is in the best interest for our guests and thus the best interest for our local and national economy. Our locals are more than willing to donate their time and energy to patch the airport however the engineers see fit in order to keep our airport open. Closing now, with no sure time of beginning a 2 month long project is simply merciless amidst the HIGH SEASON in the Cays and in the Bahamas.

Thank you for your consideration.

StanleyCay.com