Major Repairs Still Needed at GB Airport

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GRAND BAHAMA, BAHAMAS – Two years after Hurricane Dorian sat on Grand Bahama for two torturous days, the island’s international airport is still in desperate need of repair.

During a tour of the airport, Deputy Prime Minister Chester Cooper got to see just how bad it really is.

In the control tower, the brain of the operation, there are cracks in the roof. On the floor, a blue bucket catches water when it rains.

There’s no elevator, meaning these employees must climb flights and flights of stairs just to get to work.

It’s just one part of Grand Bahama International Airport that remains damaged two years after hurricane Dorian struck in 2019.

Next to the tower, a badly damaged warehouse structure. Just looking at the walls you can see just how strong the storm surge was. The floor and the ceiling ripped up and firemen left to sit at two white tables.

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister Of Tourism Chester Cooper and Grand Bahama Minister Ginger Moxey took a tour of the airport where they saw for themselves the sad state two years later.

On the other side, a building in much better shape is used for domestic and international flight departures.

Inside the airport, desks have been allocated for local and international airlines.

At the moment, there’s no pre-clearance.

As you walk through the property you can tell work is underway, with signs that read, “Please pardon our appearance.”

Despite that, the customs and immigration stations setup as normal for international arrivals.

In late April, the Minnis administration signed a deal for the acquisition of the airport for one dollar, plus roughly $1 million in staff-related costs but the question remains – Where and how to build a bigger and better airport for Grand Bahama?

Cooper did not give an update after the tour, but one is expected on the way forward in the coming weeks.