What does it cost to fly a private jet to the Bahamas now?

Flying private to the Bahamas has become more expensive in three separate ways in 2026, and only one of them is a price you will see on a fee schedule. The Bahamas Air Navigation Services Authority (BANSA) is billing aircraft operators for flights going back to May 2021, at new rates. Airport charges at North Eleuthera, Governor’s Harbour and Exuma are proposed to nearly double from January 2027. And a new $775 overflight fee is under discussion.

None of these is billed to you as a passenger. They are billed to the operator, and on a charter the operator’s costs are in your price. This page sets out each charge, who pays it, how firm it is, and what to ask before you book a Bahamas trip this season.

The short version

• BANSA is back-billing to May 1, 2021. Operators of jets, turboprops and twin piston aircraft that flew to, from, within or over the Bahamas are receiving invoices at rates about 300% to 700% higher, based on aircraft weight, including for flights they already paid for.
• Unpaid debts follow the aircraft. BANSA has said in writing that an aircraft with a debt can be seized or detained, “This also applies to new owners.”
• Three Family Island airports get new charges from January 2027. For North Eleuthera, Governor’s Harbour and Exuma, international departing passengers would pay $66 each in new fees, on top of $39 they pay today. The schedule is under government review.
• A $775 overflight fee is proposed, not in force. Who would pay it and where is still unclear.
• Customs is unchanged: a charter with more than four seats pays $150 in and $150 out.

What is the BANSA retroactive fee?

It is a back-dated bill for air navigation services. NBAA reported on August 3, 2026 that BANSA “recently began retroactive collection of fees” from operators who flew to, from, within or over the Bahamas in a piston twin, turboprop or jet since May 1, 2021. The fees are based on maximum takeoff weight and, according to CST Flight Services, which coordinates Bahamas trips for private operators, represent increases “of 294 percent to 679 percent”.

They apply to private and commercial flights alike. “There are no distinctions between [general aviation] and commercial flights,” CST’s owner Rick Gardner told NBAA. Operators who paid BANSA at the time are being billed the difference. The exemptions are narrow: search and rescue and medical flights, emergency diversions, Bahamas government aircraft, foreign military and state aircraft, and private flights in single-engine piston aircraft.

BANSA tried the same back-billing on airlines first. The Tribune reported that it sought retroactive increases from Bahamian and foreign airlines in 2025 and “seemingly backed-off following pushback and protest”.

Why does it matter if you only book a charter?

Because the bill attaches to the aircraft, and the operator’s costs set your price.

BANSA told CST in writing: “Any aircraft with a debt can be seized/detained by the Government in the case the operator refuses to pay its outstanding debt. This also applies to new owners.” No seizure has been reported. But an operator with an unresolved Bahamas invoice has a reason to think twice before sending that aircraft back, and an operator that has paid will price that into Bahamas trips.

Invoices were first issued through IATA’s airline billing system, which most private operators have no account with, so many may not know they have one. OPSGROUP reported on September 21 that communication with BANSA “appears to have stopped (reportedly on government instructions)” and that IATA is understood to have stepped back. NBAA is challenging the charges with the US government, and points out that the FAA provides most air traffic services over the Bahamas for “a de minimis annual fee”.

What are the new airport charges at Eleuthera and Exuma?

New charges are proposed from January 1, 2027 at three airports being taken over by Island Airport Development Partners: North Eleuthera (MYEH), Governor’s Harbour (MYEM) and Exuma International at George Town (MYEF). The group plans to recover a combined $132 million spent on new terminals, rescue facilities and runways, the Tribune reported, under a 50-year contract.

For passengers, the new fees are a $51 passenger facility fee and a $15 processing fee, $66 in all, for each international departure. The Tribune added those to the $29 departure tax, $9 security fee and $1 levy already paid, for a total of $105 a head to leave Eleuthera or Exuma for another country. The chart below shows how that total builds up.

Landing and parking charges rise too. CST modelled a four-night international trip to Governor’s Harbour with four passengers and found total airport costs up 84% for a Pilatus PC-12 turboprop and 92% for a Hawker 800 midsize jet, comparing 2026 fees with the proposed 2027 ones. OPSGROUP reported that the new schedule is “still under review by the Bahamas government”.

These three airports matter beyond their own islands. OPSGROUP notes that the Bahamas has only a handful of airports with jet fuel and runways long enough for most jets, which makes North Eleuthera, Governor’s Harbour and Exuma common choices for a jet.

What is the proposed $775 overflight fee?

A proposal, not a charge. The Bahamas Aviation, Climate and Severe Weather Network (BACSWN) is seeking ICAO approval for a $775 fee per flight, according to OPSGROUP: $500 to the government and $225 to BACSWN. It is not known which aircraft would pay it, whether it would apply only to overflights or also to flights into the Bahamas, or whether it would replace the BANSA charge or come on top of it.

What does Bahamas customs cost for a private jet?

Customs fees have not changed in 2026. In July 2025, Bahamas Customs comptroller Ralph Munroe told the Tribune that paying private flights, which include charters, pay $150 inbound and $150 outbound for aircraft with more than four seats, and $75 each way for four seats or fewer. Private aircraft flying purely for recreation pay $150 inbound only. The fees rose from $50 to $150 in the 2024 to 2025 Budget.

What should you ask before booking a Bahamas charter?

Three questions settle most of it.

1. Does the price include all Bahamian charges? Customs, airport, passenger and air navigation charges. Under federal rules, a broker must give you the total cost before you sign if you ask; see how to spot a charter scam for the full list of required disclosures.
2. Which airport? The 2027 charges apply at North Eleuthera, Governor’s Harbour and Exuma only. Nassau and other airports are outside them.
3. Is the operator current with the Bahamas? An operator should know whether it has an open BANSA invoice. If it does not know, that is worth knowing.

For flight times and prices from New York, see the Teterboro to Nassau route guide. Returning to the US, every passenger now signs the CDC’s Ebola attestation before boarding; see does the CDC Ebola attestation apply to private jets?

How Jake works

Jake names the operator and the aircraft in every quote, and deals with the certificate holder directly. On a Bahamas trip, ask him to confirm in writing that the quote includes the Bahamian charges for your airport.