The Government of the Bahamas requested the budget allocation of BSD2.5 million Bahamian dollars (USD2.5 million) to repurpose a confiscated aircraft for official government activities.
According to a statement by the Office of the Prime Minister, the Royal Bahamas Police Force confiscated the jet in question and is now repurposing it for official government use for frequent travel to various Family Islands, including those without regular commercial flights. Some airports in these islands include Andros Town, Cat Island, Inagua, Mayaguana, and San Salvador.
The police force will maintain, operate and utilise the aircraft, “ensuring its safety and reliability for government travel needs.”
However, no further details about the plane were given, such as model, registration, age, or serial number. Leon Lundy, minister of State, said that those details would be published in due time.
“This approach represents a cost-saving measure, significantly reducing the monthly expenses incurred by the government. In certain cases, technical teams and officials currently face delays of two to three days when discharging government services on remote family islands while waiting for commercial flights to return to Nassau. These delays result in increased lodging fees and per diems. By using the repurposed aircraft, the government can avoid these additional costs and improve the efficiency of its operations,” the Prime Minister's office said.
