New Security Regulations At Nassau Airport

The interim security plan is a direct result of new safety regulations implemented on Saturday by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), a division of the United States Homeland Security, according to Nassau Airport Development Company (NAD).

“The first day the new security initiatives came into effect, many of our major airline carriers encountered delays anywhere from two to three hours,” said NAD’s President and CEO Craig Richmond in a press release issued over the holiday weekend.

“On Sunday morning we met with representatives from the Airport Authority, Bahamas Security Services Ltd. and the airlines. We immediately implemented our interim plan including additional security screeners. This shortened delay times by 30 to 45 minutes and alleviated congestion in the terminal.”

As a result of the new regulations, all passengers will now undergo a pre-boarding physical inspection and an inspection of all carry-on luggage, NAD officials said.

“The airport’s interim plan includes additional security screeners to minimize delays and congestion in the terminal. All of the relevant agencies are working to minimize inconvenience to our passengers at this time.”

NAD officials said with passenger projections slightly less than they were on the weekend, airport officials do not anticipate delays in the coming days.

Shonalee Johnson, NAD’s communications manager, told The Nassau Guardian yesterday that passengers have been very co-operative with airport officials.

“We are very thankful that people have been understanding,” she said. “We continue to work on reducing the impact but given the impact of the additional measures it’s impossible to eliminate the delays.”

She explained that the additional screenings will not impact the recent decision to remove the second security checkpoint at LPIA.

TSA reported that on Christmas Day a man flying from Nigeria to Amsterdam, then to the U.S. onboard Northwest Airlines Flight 253 set off a device as the aircraft approached Detroit, However, he was subdued by passengers and crew.

“TSA wishes to acknowledge the heroic efforts of those individuals,” a statement from the agency said.

The brief statement added that as a result of this incident, TSA has worked with airline and law enforcement authorities, as well as federal, state, local, and international partners to put additional security measures in place to ensure aviation security remains strong.

Passengers traveling to the United States from The Bahamas are advised to check in three hours prior to their flight departure.

Source: The Nassau Guardian