Air Traffic Volumes Nearing Pre-Pandemic Figures

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NASSAU, BAHAMAS – Air traffic at the country’s busiest gateway slowly creeping up to pre-pandemic levels with one air traffic operations manager saying some major long-standing industry issues, have been resolved.

Air traffic arrivals at Lynden Pindling International Airport (LPIA) for the first six months of 2022 showing a 10 percent difference when compared to the same period in 2019, signaling a return to pre-pandemic levels.

Bahamas Air Navigation Services Authority Air Traffic Operations Manager Bryan Wilson gives a breakdown of the numbers.

“As of July 31st 2022, we’re only six percent off the traffic volume we dealt with in 2019. For July 2022 we’re actually one percent ahead of July 2019.

And, Wilson says officials are expecting numbers to rise, even as we we are now in what he says is typically consider a slow period.

At the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the aviation industry saw a global crippling as airlines were grounded and countries saw lockdowns and curfews that lasted for weeks on end.

During that time, Wilson says air traffic movements at the main gateway fell to about 58 percent. However, Wilson says there were also periods in July 2021 where figures surpassed pre-pandemic levels.

“What we saw is that there was a real hunger to get back to normal for air travel to resume. As soon as restrictions were lifted, the numbers sprang up,” Wilson explains.

During peak traffic periods, he says officials managed to keep delays and other issues to a minimum.

Speaking at an aviation safety forum and panel discussion, wilson also revealing that those issues have been resolved.

While he says there is still a ways to go, Wilson says he believes operations are headed in the right direction, as delays have diminished by more than 50 percent.