Govt expanding local aviation to serve as key Caribbean-South America link

Guyana is poised to become a crucial aviation hub, bridging the Caribbean and South America, as the government intensifies efforts to expand its domestic and international air transport sector.

This commitment was reinforced by Minister of Public Works, Bishop Juan Edghill, at the 4th Global Implementation Support Symposium (GISS) 2025 in Abu Dhabi, where he outlined the country’s ambitious vision for its aviation growth.
Minister Edghill emphasised that aviation is not just a convenience but a necessity for Guyana, due to its unique terrain and economic aspirations.
He further highlighted that the nation’s aviation sector is witnessing record-breaking growth, with international passenger movement expected to surpass one million in 2025—an impressive jump from 751,631 in 2019 to 938,715 in 2024.
The minister also noted that that the increase reflects heightened investor confidence, rising diasporic travel, and a growing number of business and leisure visitors, further reinforcing Guyana’s status as a rising hub in the region, crucial for bridging the Caribbean and South America.
“Because of our vast forest and the beauty that it presents, our brand of tourism, which is eco-tourism, where Guyana has now been listed as a must-see destination by most of the international travel journals; aviation is key to developing that sector. Where our arrivals in-country is more than our population as of the end of 2024, and where we’ve been able to attract numerous international carriers,” he noted.
“It is impossible for us as a country to survive without aviation. In order for us to serve as that link between the Caribbean and South America, because of where we are strategically located, we have to develop our aviation sector, we have to expand what is there, and we have to ensure that while we do that, it functions well,” the Minister told the gathering.
As Guyana cements its role as a strategic link between the Caribbean and South America, Edghill said government remains focused on modernizing its aviation infrastructure.
On this point, he noted that plans are in place to enhance domestic and international connectivity, and boost trade and tourism, while ensuring that remote communities remain integrated into the nation’s development.
“In order for us to be able to see the development of Guyana, particularly to bring development and improve the lives and livelihoods of our people, we have to develop, and we are developing a robust domestic aviation sector. We have more than 120 aerodromes that need to service more than 242 indigenous communities in the country… With oil and gas, where we are servicing several FPSOs a hundred miles off our coast in our exclusive economic zone, the build-out of helicopter trade and traffic is now an enormous one. For us, our future is with aviation, and we’re not just going to say in the developing of the green economy, but we also have to look that while we do that, the blue economy is also addressed,” he said.
Moreover, Minister Edghill underscored that investment in safety, training, and infrastructure – including the recent certification of aviation training programmes—are ensuring that Guyana’s skies remain secure and well-regulated.
In recent years, Guyana has benefited tremendously from regulatory and hands on support from the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) in the area of aviation.
In May – June 2024 ICAO conducted an audit of Guyana under the Universal Safety Oversight Audit-Continuous Monitoring Approach (USOAP-CMA) programme, where an overall score of 66.36% in the effective implementation of the ICAO standards was achieved.
This support has enabled international carriers to recognise Guyana as a safe aviation destination, which has resulted in four new air carriers commencing operations Guyana in 2024, including United Airlines.
According to the Public Works Minister, Guyana is currently engaged in the process of certifying its first heavy-lift helicopter operator for support in the oil and gas sector, and is working closely with the ICAO Region office with the support of other States in the Region to request the necessary technical support to build capacity and capability within Guyana, to effectively certify this operator and provide the necessary oversight and surveillance for their operations.