Notice of the renaming of the Nassau International Airport was sent out to relevant international agencies last week according to Permanent Secretary of Transport and Aviation Archie Nairn.
Mr Nairn was responding to an FNM statement claiming that the renaming of the airport would take as long as 18 months to be recognised.
“The airport manager advises that notwithstanding the name change in Nassau – internationally.., all civil aviation authorities will continue to refer to the airport as Nassau International Airport and ticketing and baggage tags will continue to be tagged ‘NIA’ for at least another 18 months,” said the statement.
Mr Nairn said that he is not aware that it would take 18 months for the change to take effect.
He said the fact that the airport is now the Lynden Pindling International Airport was communicated ﾠas a NOTAM, or Notice to Airmen.
The airport manager was not available for comment yesterday, but according to other airport officials, many codes that the airport uses internationally will have to remain the same – despite the name change.
The airport’s three-letter code (NAS), which is assigned by the International Air Transport Association, will not be changed.
However during tower/pilot interaction, the facility will be referred to as Lynden Pindling International Airport, according to an airport spokesman. The FNM, however, believes that the government forgot to begin the process, required to effect the name-change for an international airport in a timely manner.
“They could only have forgotten this important step if the name change was in fact an after-thought, a staged event by a desperate prime minister anxious to whip up support for his flagging party in the run-up to a general election next year,” the statement said.
The Tribune
