This week, Nassau Airport Development Company will share its plans to integrate solar power at Lynden Pindling International Airport (LPIA) at the upcoming Ministry of Energy and Transport’s Energy Summit. On November 7, 2024, Kevin McDonald, NAD’s Vice President of Engineering and Maintenance, will join a panel of key stakeholders as part of the event’s theme, “Accelerating The Bahamas Energy Transition through Innovation and Strategic Partnerships.” He will discuss NAD’s path to sustainable energy solutions, specifically the development of a scalable solar power system at LPIA.
“Solar energy is an essential part of our vision for a more resilient and sustainable LPIA,” said McDonald. “This upcoming project allows us to harness our natural resources, stabilize energy costs, and reduce our reliance on fossil fuels, which is increasingly important as The Bahamas navigates energy challenges and looks towards a greener future.”
LPIA’s solar project is anticipated to roll out in three stages: design, procurement, and implementation. NAD currently has an RFP open for the engineering and design phase on the government’s procurement portal. The project is expected to begin at 1 megawatt and could expand to as much as 3.4 megawatts pending government approvals and regulatory changes. The estimated cost of the phased project ranges from $2.5 million for 1MW up to $8.5 million for 3.4MW.
The grid-tied system will require collaboration with Bahamas Power and Light (BPL) to ensure seamless integration into the existing energy infrastructure. The project is also contingent upon the support of key stakeholders including the Ministry of Energy and Transport and URCA. Transitioning a major consumer like LPIA to sustainable solar power could set the stage for an energy shift that addresses the island’s current power supply challenges while meeting the airport’s operational needs.
“Collaborating with government, regulators, and utility providers is essential to scaling this initiative,” added McDonald. “As legislation and infrastructure evolve, we can create a reliable, renewable energy source that benefits the airport and wider Bahamian community.”
NAD initially began exploring solar options in 2017, though plans were delayed due to the pandemic. Now, construction is anticipated to begin by fall 2025, moving LPIA closer to achieving a sustainable, reliable energy supply that can better support the airport’s needs during peak operating hours, while also positioning The Bahamas at the forefront of renewable energy adoption in the region.
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Image 1 caption: Kevin McDonald, Vice President of Engineering & Maintenance, NAD to speak at upcoming Ministry of Energy and Transport summit.
Media Contacts:
Jan Knowles, Vice President, Marketing and Commercial Development
Nassau Airport Development Company
Email: jan.knowles@nas.bs
Phone: 242 702 1000
Nassau, Bahamas – August 12, 2024 – Lynden Pindling International Airport (LPIA) has achieved a significant milestone, welcoming a record 4.06 million passengers in fiscal year 2024. This remarkable performance surpasses the previous record of 3.99 million passengers set in FY2019, reflecting the airport’s robust and steady post-pandemic recovery. LPIA also set a previous calendar year passenger record of 4.1 million in 2019 and is on track to surpass that number by December 2024.
In FY2024, passenger numbers increased by 9.27% YOY across all sectors: U.S., International and Domestic. A total of 2,863,556 million U.S., 449,988 International, and 747,388 Domestic passengers were recorded. This consistent pandemic recovery began in FY2022 with 2.8 million passengers across all three sectors and continued in FY2023 with 3.7 million. Officials at Nassau Airport Development Company (NAD) attribute the success to strategic efforts and collaboration with industry partners.
Vernice Walkine, President & CEO of NAD, credited several factors for the record-breaking performance including new service to the destination, increased seat capacity on existing routes and expanded seasonal routes to provide more access to Nassau/Paradise Island.
“We’re absolutely delighted that for our fiscal year 2024, which encompasses the budget period July 1, 2023 to June 30, 2024 that we’ve actually had our best fiscal year ever,” she said.
“The demand for Nassau/Paradise Island has continued to be very strong. Post pandemic we’ve seen tremendous growth. Our key airlines have increased their seat capacity into the destination because they are seeing the demand.”
The airport’s total seat capacity reached 6.379M in FY2024, up 18% YOY and 11% over levels tracked in FY2019. U.S. sector seats accounted for 4.1M, an increase of 16% since FY2019. International sector seat capacity expanded to 1.036M, up 41% over FY2019.
Walkine said LPIA also exceeded pre-pandemic airlift numbers during FY2024: “This was due in large part to our partners who worked hand in glove with us to make sure that we could attract the additional airlift that we needed and make sure that we could accommodate it here at the airport. The Bahamas Ministry of Tourism has done a number of missions to various markets; the Nassau Paradise Island Promotion Board (NPIPB) is very aggressive in meeting with the various airlines to talk about opportunities and so through all of the efforts of these partners we’ve been able to attract the additional airlift out of new gateways and also have the airlines add more seats out of traditional gateways as well.”
Numbers for July, the first month of FY2025, show strong performance with 412,234 total passengers traveling through LPIA, 2.8% above the previous year. NAD anticipates the same trends in August. As passenger numbers continue to grow, airport stakeholders are committed to enhancing connectivity, improving the overall guest experience, and sustaining growth at the country’s main gateway.
Media Contacts:
Jan Knowles, Vice President, Marketing and Commercial Development
Nassau Airport Development Company
Email: jan.knowles@nas.bs
Phone: 242 702 1000
NASSAU, BAHAMAS March 25, 2024—This coming weekend, Lynden Pindling International Airport (LPIA) officials are expecting significant passenger traffic in terminal due to Easter holiday travel. Coming off of a strong spring break season, airport stakeholders are now preparing for an estimated 70,000-75,000 passengers between March 28 (Maundy Thursday) and April 1 (Easter Monday). In 2023, a total of 71,304 passengers were processed with 2,914 aircraft movements over the five-day period.
Jonathan Hanna, Vice President of Operations at Nassau Airport Development Company (NAD) said projections show heavy inbound and outbound traffic across all sectors at the airport over the holiday weekend.
“We’re anticipating strong performance across the US, international (non-US) and domestic travel sectors based on our forecasts for the Easter holiday peak,” Hanna said. “From an operational standpoint, we’ve held various meetings with key stakeholders to ensure that we are prepared to meet the increased passenger demand.”
LPIA stakeholders include Bahamas Immigration, Bahamas Customs, Airport Authority, US Customs & Border Protection (USCBP), Air Traffic Services (ATS), Airline Operators, the Royal Bahamas Police Force and the Road Traffic Department. Among the critical talking points during the discussions were proper staffing during peak periods, queue management in terminal and passenger flow from drop off to takeoff.
NAD advises travellers to arrive at LPIA three (3) hours ahead of US-bound flights and two (2) hours prior to international and domestic flights. For those seeking to book last minute flights, officials recommend traveling outside of the peak travel hours of 11:00am and 3:00pm where possible.
Drivers are reminded that vehicular traffic in front of the terminal is restricted to passenger loading and offloading only. No parking or waiting is permitted. Failure to comply may result in tickets being issued or vehicles being towed. To further reduce curbside congestion, drivers picking up arriving passengers from the airport are encouraged to utilize LPIA’s cell phone parking lot where they can wait up to sixty (60) minutes free of charge. Persons must remain in their vehicles at all times when using the cell phone waiting lot to avoid being towed.
For an optimal travel experience, passengers should stay connected to their airlines for the latest updates. For real time airport information, visit www.nassaulpia.com, follow the airport on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter @nassau_airport or download the AeroCloud app.
Media Contact:
Jan Knowles, Vice President,
Marketing and Commercial Development
Nassau Airport Development Company
Email: jan.knowles@nas.bs
Phone: 242 702 1000
LYNDEN PINDLING INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT
1MW SOLAR PHOTOVOLTAIC PLANT
Nassau Airport Development Company Ltd. (NAD) is seeking Proposers (experienced consortium or joint venture) to design and build a solar energy plant at Lynden Pindling International Airport (LPIA).
This renewable energy initiative comprises of, but is not necessarily limited to, the following:
- Solar energy technology solution options
- Project site location for delivery to (or within) the LPIA power grid
- Expected COD (Charge on Demand) for generation facilities responsive to this RFP
- Market pricing for energy capacity and all generation related services
- Level of experience of market participants in developing renewable energy
- Proposer’s affirmation of interest in providing a design build renewable energy solution to LPIA
- Deadline for submission of proposals: 2:00PM EST, June 30, 2023.
MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:
Proposers are to submit comprehensive responses for the development of a 1MW commercial scale grid tied solar power plant at LPIA. Interested proposers are invited to provide a cost competitive bid, under the guidelines of the Bahamas Electricity Act. Proposers shall have a minimum of 5 years relevant experience in the solar photovoltaic industry with at least 1MW of solar energy production.
NAD’s OBJECTIVES ARE:
- To achieve a high standard of excellence and customer service
- To achieve energy security and reliability at LPIA, the main international gateway to The Bahamas
Except as otherwise specified in this Request for Proposal, NAD will not enter into any communications with Bidders in connection with this procurement except to provide clarification regarding the RFP and the procurement process. NAD will respond in writing to any request for clarification where such written request for clarification is received not later than fourteen (14) days before the deadline for submission of Proposals. Any Bidder requiring clarification on the RFP or procurement process may notify NAD in writing at the address indicated below:
Mr. Sean Moultrie, Capital Projects Manager
Nassau Airport Development Company Ltd.
Lynden Pindling International Airport
Nassau, Bahamas
Email: sean.moultrie@nas.bs
NASSAU, BAHAMAS April 3, 2023—Key stakeholders at Lynden Pindling International Airport (LPIA) are gearing up for what is expected to be a busy Easter holiday travel period. Early projections indicate that between April 6 (Maundy Thursday) and April 10 (Easter Monday) an estimated 70,000-80,000 passengers will be processed at the country’s major gateway.
Airport officials are predicting strong numbers across all sectors- US, international (non-US) and domestic travel when compared to the same period in 2022 and when benchmarked against 2019. Last Easter, LPIA recovered 80% of pre-pandemic passenger traffic when 62,112 passengers moved through its terminals. In 2019, a banner year for travel, some 75,000 travelled were processed over the Easter holiday weekend.
“Coming off of a strong first quarter of travel including a significant boost during spring break, we expect to see numbers 15-30% over the same period in 2022,” Vernice Walkine, President & CEO at Nassau Airport Development Company (NAD) explained. “Based on our projections heading into the Easter holiday weekend, we anticipate passenger counts at LPIA that will match or quite possibility exceed pre-pandemic levels.”
To properly manage the uptick in traffic, NAD met with key airport stakeholders including Bahamas Immigration, Bahamas Customs, Airport Authority, US Customs & Border Protection (USCBP), Air Traffic Services (ATS), Airline Operators, the Royal Bahamas Police Force and the Road Traffic Department. Discussions centered on staffing needs during peak periods, queue management and passenger flow from the curbside to the airside.
From an operations standpoint, Jonathan Hanna, Vice President of Operations at NAD said the focus for the upcoming weekend is to ensure that LPIA is functioning at optimal capacity.
“Since the start of spring break, our airport partners have been doing a great job managing high demand and continue to make the necessary adjustments to operate efficiently. As airport managers, our goal is to facilitate their processes by ensuring that our systems are functioning at optimal levels,” Hanna said.
Last fall, NAD’s Operations team introduced AeroCloud’s AI technology to manage gate assignments and predict traffic patterns particularly during peak periods.
He continued: “We are utilizing AeroCloud software to better estimate flight cancellations, delays or diversions and to keep an eye on weather in our source markets. With this critical information, we can communicate in real time to our airport partners and concessionaires so that they can deploy the proper resources to minimize impact on business.”
While AeroCloud helps operators manage traffic in terminal and on the airside, focus is also being given to reducing congestion on the curbside. In November 2022, NAD opened a cell phone waiting lot where drivers can park for up to sixty (60) minutes free of charge while waiting on arriving passengers. Users must remain in their vehicles as all times while in the lot.
Looking ahead to Easter, officials are urging members of the public to take measures to improve their own travel experience. Passengers are encouraged to arrive at LPIA three (3) hours prior to US-bound flights and two (2) hours ahead of international and domestic flights. It is also recommended, where possible, to book flights outside of the peak travel hours of 11:00am and 3:00pm in order to avoid long lines and crowds.
Travellers should also stay in contact with their individual airlines and download the AeroCloud mobile app available on Google Play or Apple App Store for real time flight updates. LPIA passengers can also receive direct updates from the airport at www.nassaulpia.com or on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter @nassau_airport.
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Media Contacts:
Jan Knowles, Vice President, Marketing and Commercial Development
Nassau Airport Development Company
Email: jan.knowles@nas.bs
Phone: 242 702 1000
“Effective Sunday, June 12, 2022 at 12:01 am, pre-departure testing for travel to the United States is no longer required. International travelers must continue to show proof of COVID-19 vaccination. More information can be found here: US Ends Covid-19 Test Requirement to Enter Country – Bloomberg
For further travel information, please visit our website www.nassaulpia.com or contact your respective airline.”
The first batch of AstraZeneca vaccines – also known as Covishield – arrived at the Lynden Pindling International Airport today on United Airlines flight 1456 from Newark, New Jersey.
The vaccines were received by Prime Minister Herbert Minnis; Health Minister Renward Wells; Foreign Affairs Minister Darren Henfield; National Immunization Manager Nurse Ruth Bastian; Chief Medical Officer Dr. Pearl McMillian; Bahamas High Commissioner to India, Lowell Mortimer; and President of the Bahamas India Association Dr. Anupama Jacob.
The 20,000 doses delivered by United are a gift from the Government of India. The vaccines were pre-qualified by the WHO and received Emergency Use Listing (EUL) approval by the WHO. The vaccines have also received certification from the Caribbean Regulatory System (CRS).
“I would like to thank Prime Minister Modi (@narendramodi) and the people of India for this generous assistance,” said the Prime Minister.
United Airlines is the first commercial airline to fly the COVID-19 vaccine to The Bahamas. United has been proud to put its extensive resources, capabilities and expertise to work over the last several months, teaming up with logistics and pharmaceutical companies around the world to support the distribution of these life-saving vaccines.
According to Mrs. Elaine Foster, United Airlines General Manager in Nassau, the vaccines were flown on United Airlines flight 830 from Bombay, India and arrived in Newark, New Jersey this morning at 5:40am. They were then safely transported to United Airlines flight 1456 which left Newark at 8:45am and arrived in Nassau just before noon.
According to United, the scientists behind these vaccines and frontline workers, like the team in Nassau, are the real heroes of this pandemic. The airline has committed to doing its part to safely and effectively facilitate the transportation of vaccines across its expansive global network.
NASSAU, Bahamas – On January 12, 2021 the U.S. Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced that all air passengers flying to the U.S. from a foreign country will be required to show proof of a negative COVID-19 viral test (PCR or Antigen test), taken no more than 3 days prior to the flight. This new regulation will apply to all travellers ages 2 and older, including U.S. citizens and international travellers. The order will go into effect on January 26, 2021.
Furthermore, any person who has tested positive for COVID-19 in the last three months must be prepared to show documentation of recovery, which consists of proof of their positive viral test, coupled with a letter from a healthcare provider or a public health official, providing clearance to travel. Airlines will be responsible for confirming the negative test result or documentation of recovery for all passengers before they board, and will deny boarding to any person who does not provide documentation of a negative test or recovery, or chooses not to take a test.
The Government of The Bahamas has successfully implemented stringent measures to protect its citizens, residents and visitors, and is well positioned to adhere to this new order, seamlessly integrating the CDC’s testing requirements into The Bahamas’ existing COVID-19 protocols. Currently, visitors to The Bahamas who stay longer than four nights and five days are required to take a rapid antigen test on the fifth day of their stay, with a number of testing sites throughout The Bahamas approved to administer tests. This means travellers and residents alike, readily have access to the viral tests, now required to enter the U.S.
“The Bahamas Government will continue to work in accordance with the CDC to curb the spread of COVID-19, which has been our top priority since the onset of this global pandemic,” said Dionisio D’Aguilar, The Bahamas Minister of Tourism & Aviation. “Our journey has not been without bumps in the road, but we have made great strides in combatting this virus as evidenced by the very low case numbers we have now achieved. Visitors to our shores should have peace of mind knowing that we are making every effort to keep The Bahamas safe, and can now offer a turnkey, affordable and reliable testing process that meets U.S. requirements.”
All U.S. travellers to The Bahamas as well as Bahamian citizens and residents are required to abide by the CDC’s protocols to enter the U.S. An overview of these requirements, as well as FAQs, can be found on the CDC website.
For a list of approved COVD-19 testing sites in The Bahamas, as well as a full overview of The Bahamas’ travel and entry protocols, please visit Bahamas.com/travelupdates.
Due to the fluidity of COVID-19, the Government of The Bahamas will continue to monitor cases across the islands and loosen or tighten restrictions as needed. The Bahamas is an archipelago with more than 700 islands and cays, spread over 100,000 square miles, which means conditions and instances of the virus can be different on each of the 16 islands available to welcome visitors. Travellers should check the status of their island destination before travelling, by visiting Bahamas.com/travelupdates.
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PRESS INQUIRIES
Anita Johnson-Patty
General Manager, Global Communications
Bahamas Ministry of Tourism & Aviation
ajohnson@bahamas.com
Weber Shandwick
Public Relations
Bahamas@webershandwick.com
All incoming visitors must present a COVID-19 RT-PCR Negative (Swab) Test upon arrival with a sample taken within ten (10) days of arrival. Select individuals will not be required to provide a test:
- Children under the age of ten (10)
- Private pilots who do not deplane
- Bahamian citizens, residents and homeowners who are returning to The Bahamas from English speaking CARICOM countries
- Bahamian citizens and legal residents who are returning to The Bahamas from countries where they cannot obtain a COVID-19 RT-PCR (Swab) Test. Proof of their inability to receive a test must be presented upon arrival and the traveler will be required to quarantine for 14 days. Quarantine time may be reduced if the traveler opts to take a test at their expense and receives a negative result.
- Bahamian citizens and legal residents who have been out of The Bahamas for less than 72 hours; however they will be required to quarantine for 14 days. Quarantine time may be reduced if the traveler opts to take a COVID-19 RT-PCR (Swab) Test, at their expense, and receives a negative result.
All incoming travelers will be required to complete an electronic Health Visa prior to arriving in The Bahamas at travel.gov.bs. To complete the visa, each traveler will need to upload a negative COVID-19 test result and provide contact information that is crucial for contact tracing purposes. An automated response will be provided upon completion of the Health Visa, and it is essential that travelers present proof of this confirmation upon arrival in The Bahamas.