Guyana seeks major airline to establish global hub at CJIA’s Terminal 2

…also pursuing int’l partnership to develop country into global aviation training hub

As Guyana’s aviation industry continues to expand, President Dr Irfaan Ali says his administration is seeking international partners to operate Terminal Two at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA) and to co-invest in establishing Guyana as a global training hub for aviation professionals.
He made the call on Tuesday while delivering the feature address at the opening of the 3rd Global Regional Safety Oversight Organisations (RSOO) and Regional Accident and Investigation Organisation (RAIO) Forum for Aviation Safety, a two-day event taking place at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre (ACCC) in Georgetown.

Ali informed the gathering of aviation leaders, experts, and high-level officials from nearly 60 countries that Guyana is looking for international partners to support the growth of its industry.
He highlighted that the local aviation sector is undergoing significant transformation, with international passenger traffic growing by 121 per cent, international flights increasing by 180 per cent and international freight movement jumping by 76 per cent.

Terminal 2
In fact, the country’s main airport – the CJIA has outgrown its existing capacity, prompting the Government to invest in the construction of a second terminal, which is expected to become operational in 2028. President Ali told the conference that Guyana is seeking partners to operate in this new terminal.
“Now for those international players here, we’re looking now for a partner in Terminal Two, someone who will take terminal two as their global hub, so we have mandated the Ministry to begin negotiations with all the big players who would want to use Terminal Two as their hub, whether to West Africa, South America, connected to the Caribbean, we’re ready to finalise those negotiations. I make that very clear, we have to ensure that we have a major player utilising Terminal Two as the hub, their hub, our hub,” the Head of State noted.
Terminal Two is expected to be a game-changing addition to the airport, significantly enhancing the passenger experience through expanded concession areas, increased operational capacity, and modern amenities tailored to meet the country’s growing aviation needs.

The modern 150,000-square-foot building will showcase Guyana’s natural and cultural beauty as well as feature duty-free zones, retail opportunities, rental offices, and lounges. With this new building, the CJIA will be able to dedicate separate buildings for arrivals and departures.
The project is being financed in part by the United Kingdom Export Finance (UKEF), which has offered Guyana a credit loan ceiling of up to a whopping £3 billion. In Budget 2026, the Guyanese Government had set aside some $3.2 billion to advance the construction.

Aviation Training
Meanwhile, President Ali noted that Guyana is also seeking international partners to help position the country as a global hub for aviation training.
“We want to position Guyana as a human resource training and development hub for aviation globally. We’re looking for a partner to help us to position Guyana as a global hub for training, aviation development, human resource development, every aspect of aviation: safety, security, maintenance, pilot training. We want to build an education, development and aviation hub here that deals with training comprehensively. And we’re going to put the infrastructure in but we’re looking for that international partner. We want to find a way in which we can build this ecosystem with an international partner and I’m looking for ideas, we’re looking for those who are ready to journey with,” Ali emphasised.
The Head of State underscored the importance of this investment, highlighting the global mismatch in the demand and supply of human capital for the industry.

“If we don’t have enough pilots and pilots are not having the required rests, if we don’t have enough assets and assets are stretched in terms of utilisation, all of this have impact on safety, so we have to have a full understanding of the comprehensive ecosystem and how we’re going to address each component of this ecosystem,” he expressed.
Guyana’s Civil Aviation Training School has already achieved prestigious International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) TRAINAIR PLUS Gold Standard accreditation, marking a significant advancement in its global ranking.
It certifies that Civil Aviation Training School (CATS) delivers training programmes that fully meet and exceed internationally recognised aviation standards, qualifying the institution to develop new and offer ICAO-approved courses to aviation professionals in Guyana and internationally.
In fact, the school has already trained students from Guyana, Suriname, Barbados, The Bahamas, Cayman Islands and St Lucia, both in person and virtually since attaining the accreditation.

First movers
Meanwhile, also delivering brief remarks at the event was Minister of Public Utilities and Aviation, Deodat Indar, who underscored the importance of interested players making their investments in Guyana now.
Indar explained, “it is easier to come now, if you wait later, the cost will be more and it will be a little more difficult. So, first movers’ advantage is something key and I know we have a lot of air operators in the conference, I know Airbus is here, Air France, and a whole host of other people are here, first movers’ advantage is key.”
The two-day aviation safety summit is being hosted by Guyana in partnership with the ICAO and the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA). Civil aviation authorities from about 60 countries are attending. The conference is themed “Optimising Resources through Coordination and Cooperation” and is the first global aviation event of its kind hosted in Guyana.