Landing equipment installed at CJIA – Public Works Minister

Contract with Canadian company

Last year, the Guyana Civil Aviation Authority (GCCA) signed a contract with a Canadian company for the supply of equipment intended to aid in landing planes. It turns out that this contract has been fulfilled.
In a recent interview with this publication, Public Works Minister Juan Edghill was asked for an update on this project. He noted that based on the information he would have received; the equipment was installed.
“Myaunderstanding is that that equipment would have been in place. There was equipment that was procured for GCAA to help with safe landing and that is in place,” Edghill explained.
The firm in question, IntelCan, is based in Montreal, Canada. According to the particulars of the contract they signed on July 18, 2019, they were tasked with supplying and installing upgraded Instrument Landing Systems (ILS) at CJIA, Timehri, East Bank Demerara by February 2020.
The ILS is an approach which employs two radio signals that provide a pilot with vertical and horizontal guidance during the landing phase of an aircraft. The localiser (LOC) provides azimuth guidance, while the glideslope (GS) defines the correct vertical descent profile.
Following the upgrade and extension of the runway at CJIA, the acquisition of this new and modern ILS system will enhance the landing capability of aircraft at the CJIA to alleviate the need for diversions of aircraft in minimal weather conditions.
It was expected that with the acquisition of this improved system, CJIA’s ability to facilitate safe landing and avoid having to divert aircraft in minimal weather conditions would have been improved.
In addition to the ILS, the aviation systems were supposed to also be boosted with a Digital Automatic Terminal Information System (D-ATIS) to provide pilots with real-time information on weather and safety.
At the time of the contract, this information was provided to pilots by the Air Traffic Controllers without automation. In the future, the D-ATIS will provide automatic data to the aircraft every hour.
“Key features of D-ATIS are reduction of the workload for Air Traffic Controllers and pilots, provision of timely, accurate, and updated information and reducing the likelihood of human error and runway congestion during the transmission of data to pilots and improving air safety and efficiency,” GCAA had said at the time.
“The acquisition of D-ATIS will align the GCAA with the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) Global Interoperability Plans, which aims to provide a seamless operation and experience for pilots operating in any part of the world.”
While the CJIA has benefitted from this upgrade of its landing and digital systems, the same cannot be said for the US$138 million China Export/Import Bank (EXIM) funded airport expansion project.
President Dr Irfaan Ali had toured the CJIA expansion worksite back in September, where he had read the riot act to the contractor, consultants and other officials. Among his concerns had been the deviation from the terms agreed upon in what was a fixed price contract.
CHEC was, therefore, tasked with submitting a revised work plan that included the original design, such as facilities for eight air bridges, an extended runway, taxiways, and aprons with capacity for eight standing aircraft.
Additionally, it was expected that CHEC would make provision for the reconstruction, not renovation, of the terminal building. It was also expected that the company would have submitted this work plan within five days of August 28.