Bahamas retroactively increases Fees

If you have operated a piston twin, turboprop or jet powered aircraft to The Bahamas during the period of May 01, 2021 to the present date, this applies to you.

The Bahamas Air Navigation Services Authority, BANSA, is retroactively charging operators who flew to The Bahamas in an aircraft type shown above, since May 01, 2021, even if they have ALREADY PAID for BANSA’s services. If you have never paid for these services, you will be liable for those services at the new rates and not the rates that were in effect at that time. The new fees, which are being applied retroactively, are an increase of 294% - 679% depending on the MTOW of the aircraft. If you did pay something you will receive credit for those amounts paid but you will be held accountable for the balance owed. Similarly, BANSA is giving all operators who overflew The Bahamas during that period a credit for a fee reduction of 37 – 69% depending on the MTOW of the aircraft. There are no refunds planned, only account credits towards future overflights. 

Please note that these are fees in addition to fees from FBO’s, from the Airport Authority in Nassau and any other fee where the invoice does not specifically say “Billing Entity Name - Bahamas Air Navigation Services Authority”. Anything other than that is NOT a BANSA fee which means that you still owe.

We reached out to BANSA to clarify several points and their response specified that:

• Single-engine piston powered aircraft used for private flights are exempt.

• Multi-engine piston, turboprop and jet aircraft are NOT exempt.

• Any overflight and any flight to, and within, The Bahamas is subject to the fees. This is to, and between, ANY airport in The Bahamas, not just Nassau, Freeport or Great Exuma. 

• BANSA indicates that “BANSA is dedicating important efforts to reach more and more users, submitting the due amount of pending charges and agreeing of personalized payment plans. BANSA is currently working in collaboration with FBOs to improve the current collection of charges.” We do not yet have any details of what that entails and have asked for further clarification.

• With regards to penalties and statutory liens against aircraft that have not paid the BANSA fees, we have asked BANSA to clarify if the statutory liens will be placed with the Civil Aviation Authority of registry of the aircraft (e.g. FAA) or with The Bahamas government. We have also asked what will happen to an aircraft of an operator with a lien on it travels to The Bahamas. Will the aircraft be seized/detained by the Bahamian government? What happens if an aircraft with a debt, or lien, has been sold and the new owner is unaware of the past debts and/or lien, will the new owner be expected to pay the debts of the prior owner? Unfortunately, they did not clarify this matter and we have subsequently asked the question of BANSA again.