Minister of Tourism and Aviation Dionisio D’Aguilar led a delegation to the 11th session of the International Civil Aviation Organization’s negotiating event, ICAN 2018 where he attended negotiations on air services in Nairobi, Kenya, 10-14 December 2018.

The Bahamas conducted some 24 meetings over the five-day period, where Minister D’Aguilar signed 10 Air Services Agreements (ASAs) and seven Memoranda of Understanding (MOUs) during the meeting.

This brings a sum total of 19 officially signed ASAs and 18 MOUs between The Bahamas and other countries to date. It is expected that ASAs will be concluded in the near future with those countries with whom MOUs were signed.

Minister D’Aguilar expressed his satisfaction with the outcome of meetings, pointing out that these agreements pave the way for future economic growth and stimulus through the aviation sector.

He noted that among the MOUs signed in Nairobi was one with the Government of Turkey designating Turkish Airlines to fly officially to The Bahamas, and a code-share with the Netherlands. Productive discussions were also held with Guyana and Tanzania, resulting in both countries and The Bahamas initialing agreed Minutes.

Additional fruitful meetings were also held with the US, UK, the Republic of Korea (South Korea) and the International Air Transport Association (IATA).

During the meetings, the Minister said views were also exchanged on best practices, lessons learned and opportunities for technical assistance and cooperation. He further expressed his appreciation for the strong partnership and support provided by ICAO in helping countries to further their aviation goals and to the government of Kenya for the warm welcome extended to The Bahamas delegation.

ICAN provides States with a central meeting place to conduct multiple bilateral (regional or pluri-lateral) air services negotiations or consultations. Since its inception, it has served as an efficient platform for conducting air service negotiations. So far more than a total of 142 States have participated in and benefited from ICAN at least once.

Discussions will continue in the coming months to finalize the ASAs with the remaining countries, as soon as those countries have finalized their internal approval processes. Both The Bahamas and the relevant countries expressed the hope for the official signings to take place before the end of 2019 either in the margins of upcoming meetings, or at the ICAO Assembly in Montreal September/October, or during the 12th Session of ICAN, which is to be held in Jordan in December 2019.

Pictured: Minister D’Aguilar signs agreements with delegations from Columbia, Ghana and Guyana. (BIS Photos)