{"id":22279,"date":"2022-05-29T22:58:37","date_gmt":"2022-05-29T22:58:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/saj.pachecostudios.com?p=22279"},"modified":"2022-05-29T22:58:39","modified_gmt":"2022-05-29T22:58:39","slug":"aopa-urges-the-bahamas-to-delay-confusing-click2clear-program-for-private-aviators","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/national-news\/aopa-urges-the-bahamas-to-delay-confusing-click2clear-program-for-private-aviators\/%20","title":{"rendered":"AOPA Urges the Bahamas to Delay Confusing Click2Clear Program for Private Aviators"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

In a letter to the Bahamas\u2019 acting director general in the\nMinistry of Tourism, Investments, and Aviation, Aircraft Owners and Pilots\nAssociation President Mark Baker requested a delay in the implementation of a\ncustoms clearance system for private pilots and passengers to enter the\ncountry. This new process for private pilots was scheduled to take effect yesterday\non May 30.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Photo by Chris Rose. <\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

The Click2Clear program is an online portal designed to\nfacilitate the customs process for pilots and their passengers. While\nClick2Clear has been in existence since 2018 for air cargo operators, there has\nbeen no formal announcement or information published on the Bahamas\u2019 government\nwebsite for private operators.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Baker has heard from a number of AOPA members all suggesting\nthat the Click2Clear program is untested and nonintuitive for private pilots,\nand he formally requested the launch of Click2Clear for private aviation be\npostponed until the end of the first quarter of 2023.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis pause will allow the necessary time to obtain feedback\nfrom impacted stakeholders to make any necessary improvements to the\nClick2Clear initiative, provide education and training on any new customs\nprocesses, and to implement the initiative during a lower air traffic period to\navoid confusion and any major disruptions in the event of a system\nmalfunction,\u201d Baker wrote.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Baker added that AOPA stands ready to help the Bahamas vet\nthe Click2Clear program for private pilots, with the goal of reducing complexity\nand confusion and avoiding any risk of deterring and alienating private\noperators from visiting the Bahamas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhile I appreciate the initiative by The Bahamas in\nsupporting new and efficient methods to improve the customs process, I believe\nreasonable notice with adequate instruction is also warranted \u201c\u2026 as we work\ntogether to ensure an efficient and functional program for private pilots,\u201d\nBaker added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Baker also reminded the director general that AOPA is a\nsignificant supporter of travel to the Bahamas. The AOPA Pilot Guide: Bahamas\nEdition has been the go-to resource for private pilots flying to the Bahamas\nfor many years and includes information for 57 airports in the country. This\nguide features maps with airport data and the layout of each island, customs\nand immigration information, and much more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With a rushed rollout and no notice for implementation,\ninformation on Click2Clear would not be included in the newest edition of the\nAOPA Pilot Guide: Bahamas Edition, causing further confusion for pilots looking\nto fly to that country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

AOPA will provide updates on a response from Bahamian\nauthorities and their plans and timing for Click2Clear rollout.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In a letter to the Bahamas\u2019 acting director general in the Ministry of Tourism, Investments, and Aviation, Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association President Mark Baker requested a delay in the implementation of a customs clearance system for private pilots and passengers to enter the country. This new process for private pilots was scheduled to take […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[115],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-22279","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-national-news"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22279","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=22279"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22279\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":22281,"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22279\/revisions\/22281"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=22279"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=22279"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=22279"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}