Guyana signs air services agreement with Greece, aviation sustainability pact with DR

…open new opportunities for air connectivity

Guyana on Wednesday signed an Air Services Agreement with Greece and a separate Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Dominican Republic aimed at advancing sustainability and decarbonisation in the aviation sector.
The agreements were signed on the sidelines of the joint International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) Third Global Regional Safety Oversight Organizations (RSOO) and Regional Accidents and Incidents Investigation Organization (RAIO) Forum for Aviation Safety at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre.

Public Utilities and Aviation Minister, Deodat Indar signed the agreement with Greece alongside Ambassador of the Hellenic Republic of Greece to Guyana Theodore N. Tsakiris. Technical-level negotiations and the initialling of the agreement were completed on December 3, 2019, in Aqaba, Jordan.
The agreement establishes a framework governing air transport between Guyana and Greece, including provisions covering traffic rights, airline designations and authorisations, applicable laws and regulations, commercial opportunities, tariffs, recognition of certificates and licences, aviation safety and security, and user charges.
There are currently no direct flights between Guyana and Greece. According to the Guyana Civil Aviation Authority, the agreement will facilitate airlines’ access to both markets and support opportunities for air transport services, trade and economic activity.
Guyana and Greece established diplomatic relations on May 14, 1979.

Sustainability agreement
Indar also signed an MOU with Miguel Amaurys Mejia Capellan, Deputy Director of the Dominican Institute of Civil Aviation, to establish a framework for cooperation on the sustainability and decarbonisation of civil aviation.
The agreement is aligned with ICAO’s Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation (CORSIA) and supports the international goal of achieving net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.
The areas of cooperation include the adoption of Sustainable Aviation Fuels (SAF), reduction of carbon emissions, climate finance, technical expertise and capacity building.
The two countries will also cooperate on the development of CORSIA-compliant Eligible Emissions Units (EEUs), with provisions aimed at preventing the double counting of emission reductions under the Paris Agreement.
A Joint Working Group will meet annually to coordinate activities under the MOU, with each country responsible for financing its own activities. The agreement takes immediate effect.
The two agreements were signed as Guyana hosted the ICAO/EASA aviation safety forum, which brought together aviation regulators, accident investigators and industry representatives from nearly 60 countries to discuss aviation safety, oversight and cooperation.