A town hall meeting was held on the island of Bimini on Friday about the Bimini International Airport currently under reconstruction.

Director of Aviation, Dr. Kenneth Romer spoke with ZNS News about the project.  He said, “construction of the new Bimini International Airport is a public-private partnership initiative and must therefore reflect consistent and genuine consultation with the local community on development plans and how it impacts them and more so how residence and local stakeholders can position themselves to take full advantage of existing and emerging entrepreneurial opportunities.  During the town meetings they heard about work that’s been already completed by the Bimini Airport Development Partners.  They heard about works currently in the project pipeline and of course they heard  about the forecast airside and landside development plans set to take place over the next twelve months.”

Dr. Romer said a new fire truck was delivered to the island  last month to the pleasure of residents.  He also mentioned some of the amenities expected at the new airport.  “While the official groundbreaking for the new 20,000 square feet terminal building is proposed to take place within the next 60 days.  It’s gonna come complete with a new retail space and outdoor recreational activity, a courtyard to serve again as a hosting venue for community events.  Repairs have been completed to the lighting in the existing terminals, a new air conditioner system has been installed, reliable internet connectivity is now in place.  But on the airside since launching a new  $7 million civic works component with Knowles Construction back in May of this year repairs to the airside have also been completed,” Romer said.

Tourist arrivals in 2023 outpaced the previous year’s arrivals by 138.4%.