Just about one week after the Government of Guyana formally reopened the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA), Caribbean Airlines Limited (CAL) has announced that it will be resuming commercial flights between CJIA and JFK Airport in New York.
Cheddi Jagan International Airport
The first flight is scheduled for Monday and will depart Guyana at 09:00h and arrive in New York at about 14:50h. Meanwhile, the return flight from JFK is departing at 16:20h on the same day and will arrive at the CJIA at 22:00h.
On Saturday, the airline said it will roll out its entire flight schedule for Guyana next week.
“2020 has been an unprecedented year for aviation. Our customers in Guyana and North America can count on Caribbean Airlines to reconnect them with their family and friends. We attach tremendous importance to our valued Guyanese customers and their loyalty to the airline. The full schedule will soon follow,” CAL’s Chief Executive Officer, Garvin Medera, said in a statement Saturday.
Medera continued, “We assure you that Caribbean Airlines observes safety protocols which are aligned with the highest international standards for the protection and well-being of our customers and employees.”
The non-stop return service for Monday, October 19, between Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA), Guyana, and JFK International, New York, is open for sale.
Medera further assured that Caribbean Airlines will observe all safety protocols which are aligned with the highest international standards for the protection and well-being of customers and employees.
Increased passenger traffic
Meanwhile, the CJIA management in a statement on Friday said with the reopening of the airport, it is expected that passenger arrivals will double over the next month. The airport corporation noted that already the main carriers operating in Guyana – CAL, American Airlines and COPA Airlines – have applied and have been approved to resume commercial flight operations.
According to CJIA, “This is a promising start to the reopening process, especially since the airport experienced a 95 per cent drop in passenger traffic and 1.4 billion dollars in revenue losses, over the last six (6) months, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.”
The CJIA has attained the Airport Health Accreditation (AHA) from the Airports Council International, Latin America and the Caribbean Region (ACI-LAC). The ACI Airport Health Accreditation programme provides airports with an assessment of how aligned their health measures are when compared to the ICAO Council Aviation Recovery Task Force (CART) recommendations as well as with industry best practices.
This, CJIA believes, will give the airlines and passengers alike the confidence that the safety measures implemented are in line with international standards. In the meantime, passengers arriving into Guyana are required to obtain a negative PCR test taken within seven (7) days, prior to their arrival.
Passengers with tests within four to seven (4-7) days prior to arrival at CJIA will be subjected to a second PCR test. As it relates to the on-site PCR testing at the airport, CJIA reported that all the passengers who have since been tested on arrival have been negative for COVID-19.
Meanwhile, Eastern Airlines, which has been operating repatriation flights over the past few months, has already commenced commercial operations between Guyana and the US. (G2)
