Above: a Bahamasair plane

By Dana Niland
CJ Contributor

After a long period of negotiations, the government of The Bahamas has signed a $100 million contract with aviation firm ATR for the purchase of five ATR 600 model aircraft for the country’s national airline, Bahamasair.

Senior government officials, members of the Board of Bahamasair, and representatives of ATR took part in a signing ceremony last week, which was held at the Ministry of Works and Urban Development

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Works and Urban Development Philip Davis said the upgrade investment was an opportunity for the airline to “service designated routes in The Bahamas while seeking to expand its transnational flight operations to service new tourist routes.”

Davis also said it was “critical” to upgrade the Bahamasair fleet to ensure the airline’s “continued safe and reliable air service” and to make it attractive to potential private investors.

The new aircraft portfolio is comprised of three 50-seat ATR 42-600 and two 70-seat ATR 72-600, which will be delivered between November 2015 and June 2016.

“The choice of ATR-600 aircraft family is a strategic one for us,” said Bahamasair Chief Executive Officer Henry Woods. “As we look to introduce a modern and fuel-efficient aircraft into our fleet, with its proven economics, reliability and passenger comfort, we have found the ATR-600 product family to perfectly support our plans to modernize our fleet providing a reliable service to our passengers.”

The planes will be used primarily on the Nassau/Freeport/Fort Lauderdale, Nassau/Marsh Harbour/West Palm Beach and Nassau/Exuma routes for heavy, year-round loads, according to the government.