The government of the Bahamas is planning to seek out unspecified technical assistance from Qatar Airways (QR, Doha Hamad International) to help with the expansion and turnaround of Bahamasair (UP, Nassau International), Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Tourism, Investments and Aviation Chester Cooper told the media.
"With some financial restructuring, which we will do, with some technical support, which we will provide really shortly from Qatar Airways and a partnership we’re building, I'm very cautious, but optimistic nonetheless, about the future prospects of Bahamasair," he said.
He did not outline the specifics of the assistance to be provided by Qatar Airways. The Middle Eastern carrier did not respond to ch-aviation's request for comment. A month ago, Cooper touted plans to sign an interline partnership with Qatar Airways in addition to the technical assistance.
The ch-aviation fleets module shows that the state-owned Bahamanian flag carrier currently operates three ATR42-600s, two ATR72-600s, and three B737-700s. It is "doing extremely well", according to Cooper, propelled by booming leisure demand for travel to the archipelago from the United States. The addition of a third B737-700 in 2022 apparently allowed the airline to increase its annual revenues by USD8 million thanks to new routes to the US.
"Bahamasair really is on the path to success if we are able to restructure a few things, get some new equipment," Cooper said.
Last year, the airline told ch-aviation it would focus on more B737NGs for increased Caribbean connectivity.
Qatar Airways currently has no equity in any North American airline. It unsuccessfully sought a 10% stake in American Airlines Group in 2017.
