The Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) is “pushing back” on what it calls new and steep entry and departure fees for general aviation pilots. The association maintains the fees are exceedingly high—even more than new fees imposed on commercial airlines.
AOPA President Mark Baker wrote a letter to the Prime Minister of the Bahamas, Philip Edward “Brave” Davis, urging him to intercede in rescinding the fees for private aircraft operators. Baker wrote, “While we understand some fees are necessary, we also believe private pilots shouldn’t have fees imposed on them that are twice as much as those imposed on commercial aircraft.”
Baker’s letter pointed out that hundreds of thousands of AOPA members account for a large portion of the Bahamian tourist industry, with private aviation nearly doubling the number of visitors who arrive by boat or on cruise ships. “With these new aviation fees,” Baker wrote, “along with a complicated entry and departure Customs process and the impending privatization of airports, there is no question that the Bahamas will lose its competitive advantage as a key destination for private pilots flying to the Caribbean.”
