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10 11 OPENING LINES they are circumventing the system and that’s hacking. And so, if you are carrying more than a certain number of passengers a month, you will reach that threshold and automatically trigger going into a different category. “So, we are removing the choice from the pilots to determine whether it’s a commercial [flight] or a carrying your friends and family, to once you hit this threshold, you are now in the category where you need to be properly licensed.” Asked when this new regulation will be im- plemented, D’Aguilar said, “I’m pushing them as hard as I can. I want those regulations changed as quickly as possible. I call the Director Gen- eral of the Bahamas Civil Aviation Authority (BCAA) weekly to find out how we are coming along with those regulations and they’ve got a lot going on, so certainly I would say in the next month or two.” He added that the new regula- tion will begin in New Providence and work its way to the Family Islands. Last month, Director General of the BCAA, Captain Charles Beneby, said the authority be- gan reviewing relevant legislation and regu- lations to bring about stricter oversight of the sector in an effort to prevent hacking. He also said the authority will introduce closed-circuit television cameras (CCTV) in strategic loca- tions at Lynden Pindling International Airport to assist authorities in this effort. Despite the prevalence of hacking, no one has been charged for the crime. The penalty is a fine of $10,000 and/or imprisonment of up to two years, as well as seizure of the aircraft. Authorities confirmed the pilot who crashed off North Andros on January 17, killing all on board, was hacking. The pilot and five pas- sengers on board were traveling from Andros to New Providence, but turned around before reaching their destination. The plane crashed in shallow waters off Mastic Point. Following the crash, several government ministers ex- pressed concern about oversight of the avia- tion sector and pledged that the Minnis ad- ministration will address these shortcomings.