Govt engaging more airlines to enhance trade

The introduction of more airlines is expected to unfold for the Guyanese market, offering direct flights to regional destinations and other parts of the world.
Minister within the Public Works Ministry, Deodat Indar, indicated during a recent event that Government is working to bring several carriers here, offering direct routes. This, he underlined, would complement expanded trade between other counterparts.
“We’re working with some airlines to deal with some direct routes to Guyana. We have a number of them that we’re working with. Over the next month, you’ll see some of them being in full play. Some might take a little longer, but we’re working with the airlines to help us move in the Caribbean and North America, so that you’ll have some direct routes. It will help us with travel and help us with trade too,” said the Minister.
At the beginning of October, President Dr Irfaan Ali held bilateral discussions with Barbados Prime Minister Mia Mottley on several areas of collaboration. A few days ago, a high-level delegation from Barbados was in Guyana to explore investment opportunities and agreements to purchase local materials.
Minister Indar has said that as such partnerships materialise, it will be essential to have adequate travel connections between the two countries and others.
He noted, “In the Caribbean especially, we have to make sure that we have direct flights, because following the State Visit by His Excellency, the arrangement between Barbados and Guyana will be a very fruitful one, so we have to make sure that they have airline operations to complement that process.
“We’re working on those, and you’ll see some announcement coming in the next week or so about some airline that will start the routes.”
In July, Director General (ag) of the Guyana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA), Chaitrani Heeralall, had said that seven airlines have signalled their interest in operating here. Those air service providers are FlyAllWays, InterCaribbean Airways, One Caribbean Limited, Jetair Caribbean, Skybus Airlines, Sky High Aviation Services and Guyana Rotorcraft Services Inc.
A number of commercial carriers have already reintroduced flights to and from Guyana since the Government moved to reopen the ports. One such airline is American Airlines, which restarted operations late last year. COPA Airlines started three flights weekly from Panama, and Caribbean Airlines Limited (CAL) also started flying between CJIA and the Lester B Pearson International Airport in Toronto, Canada.
JetBlue also launched its commercial flight between New York and Guyana in December of 2020.
In May, InterCaribbean Airways Limited, based in the Turks and Caicos Islands, and FlyAllways received Cabinet approval to operate locally. FlyAllways, which is Suriname owned, was also granted approval to operate in Guyana.
The Cheddi Jagan International Airport is currently under expansion and modernisation works carried out by China Harbour Engineering Company (CHEC), whom Government recently declined an additional extension to get the airport completely ready.
When the Government entered office, there was a list of 71 critical works and a master list of 1500 works that were incomplete. Back in December, the Public Works Ministry had entered into an agreement with CHEC for the contractor to undertake some US$9 million in additional works to further extend the airport at no cost to the State.
The new works involve an extension of the airport’s boarding corridor in order to accommodate two more passenger boarding bridges, providing the airport with a total of six boarding bridges capable of servicing aircraft such as the Boeing 777, Dreamliner, the AirBus and similar trans-Atlantic aircraft.
It would also see the terminal building being extended to provide additional commercial space to accommodate food courts and duty-free shops. The extended building would feature a modern airport façade covering the full length of the departure terminal.
These additional features are expected to prove convenient with the influx of carriers coming into the Guyana market to ply respective routes.