Why We Exist

1919 Aviation officially began in The Bahamas when Chalk’s Flyer Service commenced the first scheduled service to The Bahamas—Miami, Florida to Bimini. 

1928 Pan American Airways began flying mail and passengers between Florida and The Bahamas. Initial flights were mainly operated by seaplanes, and land flights officially began in the early 1940s.

1939 The Bahamas’ first airport opened on December 24, in Oakes Field, Nassau, and in 1942 the Windsor Field Airport—now Lynden Pindling International Airport (LPIA)—was built. 

1942 The Windsor Field Airport—now Lynden Pindling International Airport (LPIA)—was built. 

1946 The Bahamas Government formed the Civil Aviation Department (CAD) to oversee all aviation matters in The Bahamas, and in 1953 the Air Transport Licensing Authority was appointed. In 1957 Windsor Field Airport became Nassau International Airport and was brought into full operation, and Oakes Field airport closed. 

1973 On June 17, Bahamasair was established as the national flag carrier of The Bahamas as a product of a newly formed nation, and on June 26, The Bahamas became a Signatory State of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). (On July 10, 1973, The Bahamas became an independent country.) 

1974 USA pre-clearance facilities were established in The Bahamas—Nassau, then Freeport in 1978.

1980 Nassau Flight Services Ltd. (NFS) was established for the purpose of providing regulated services for the aviation industry. 

1986 A Radar Control system was established to improve the safety and efficiency of air traffic. 

2000 The Airport Authority (AA) was established and in 2001, the Flight Standards Inspectorate Unit formed.

2006 Nassau International Airport was renamed Lynden Pindling International Airport (LPIA), after Sir Lynden Pindling, the first Prime Minister of The Bahamas. Nassau Airport Development Company Limited (NAD) was later selected to redevelop, operate, and manage LPIA. 

2011 The Bahamas became the first ICAO North American, Central American, and Caribbean (NACC) State to successfully launch the State Safety Programme.

2013 On May 27, a Primary Surveillance S-Band Radar (PSR) and a Monopulse Secondary Radar System (MSSR) Mode S Capable and an Approach Control Centre (APP) were installed at LPIA.

2016 On October 3, CAD became the Bahamas Civil Aviation Authority (BCAA), effecting separation of the regulatory and safety and security oversight functions. BCAA later became the Civil Aviation Authority Bahamas (CAAB), while BANSD became Bahamas Air Navigational Services Authority (BANSA). The Aircraft Accident Investigation Authority (AAIA) became the official independent aviation accident investigation authority, under the Bahamas Ministry of Transport. 

2018 The Department of Aviation (DOA) was created to provide oversight to all government entities involved in the aviation sector, to adjudicate and resolve issues that develop between these entities, to provide a depository for all matters relating to the aviation sector, and to provide the necessary focus to the government’s goals in aviation. 

Entities under the Aviation umbrella are an arm of the Bahamas Ministry of Tourism, Investments, and Aviation. The Bahamas currently has a directory of sixty-one (61) airports recorded throughout the Islands. 

Aviation is a critical sector of an island-chain nation, and an important tool in providing efficient and reliable transportation for residents and visitors alike. The Bahamas remains committed to safety and security as it continues to seek out best airlift opportunities and to build and improve passenger connectivity to and throughout the Islands of The Bahamas.