Regrettably, The Bahamas government has implemented landing and parking fees for all civil aircraft arriving in The Bahamas. Those that have been following news from The Bahamas, the previous government left the country saddled with tremendous debts and unpaid bills. The current government is trying to rein in runaway costs and increase revenue. Unfortunately, part of that revenue will come from new fees. There has been no formal announcement and the new fees were slipped into the new 2019 Bahamas Pilot Guide printed by The Bahamas government.
Fortunately, the fees to be charged are relatively small to the cost of a trip:
Landing fees for Aircraft MTOW (lbs) Up to 4,000 lbs = $4.00 4,001 to 6,000 lbs = $6.00 6,001 to 14,000 lbs = $11.00 14,001 to 34,000 lbs = $40.00 34,001 to 59,000 lbs = $60.00 59,001 lbs and more = $75.00
Parking fees for Aircraft MTOW (lbs) 0 = 6,000 lbs = $3.33 per day 6,001 to 10,000 lbs = $4.00 per day 10,001 to 20,000 lbs = $5.00 per day 20,001 to 50,000 lbs = $6.67 per day 50,001 to 100,000 lbs = $7.00 per day 100,001 to 200,000 lbs = $11.67 per day 200,001 to 300,000 lbs = $12.50 per day 300,001 lbs and more = $20.00 per day
Note that the list specifies which airports are Government and which ones are Private.
The financial situation of The Bahamas is precarious and the new government has inherited a real problem. The previous government initiated a Value Added Tax (VAT) regime of 7.5% on top of their existing revenue stream and national debt STILL WENT UP. The new government is trying to reign in costs and increase revenue. They are increasing the VAT from 7.5% to 12% plus adding additional fees like these.
There are many people who are not happy about how this is being done and there is concern about killing the goose that lays the golden eggs
Any idea who collects these fees? Customs, Immigration, some other official at the airport, bill in the mail...TBD because no one thought about it yet?
Normally, landing fees are charged by Bahamas Customs. However, as there is sometimes only one officer at Bahamas airports who covers Immigration and Customs duties, it could also be the Immigration Officer who collects the fees. Therefore, you should assume that it will be either the Immigration or Customs officer and not the ramp guy, taxi driver or anyone else holding out their hand.
As an FYI, since this first came up, I've been to the Bahamas twice (including one return yesterday) and have yet to be charged these landing and parking fees.
We are glad to hear that you were not charged. We are on the Bahamas Civil Aviation council and in our December meeting we expressed our concern to the Minister about how these fees could negatively affect aviation tourism to The Bahamas. The airports that are charging the fees are now being operated by private companies selected by The Bahamas government. As not all airports have been handed over to this company, some are still under government control and not charging.
