Government plans to privatize Bahamasair

Peeved at last week’s pilot strike which lefts hundreds of air travelers stranded, the Bahamas government is looking to privatise state-owned Bahamasair.

Bahamian Deputy Prime Minister Philip Brave Davis said the government had been looking for a strategic partner for the airline for the last two years.

"This gross act of corporate sabotage brings cause for acceleration of the government’s efforts to relieve the Bahamian taxpayer of this heavy financial burden," Davis said in a statement.

"Quite frankly, all concerned must come to grips with the reality that Bahamasair is no longer an essential service," Davis said.

"The financial impact of recent events is nowhere near as damaging as will be the negative publicity received from local and international travelers, which is immeasurable," Davis said.

Davis said the Bahamasair had received $541million in subsidies since June 2013.

For the past six months Bahamasair executives have been trying to strike a deal with Bahamas Airline Pilots Association representatives over a new labor agreement.

Based in Nassau, the carrier serves Miami, Fort Lauderdale, West Palm Beach and Orlando, the Turks and Caicos Islands and Havana, Cuba.