“Men and women in uniform never failed me” – Commander-in-Chief

…commissions 1000ft extension on Kaieteur airstrip

Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, President Irfaan Ali on Friday commissioned the extension of the airstrip in the Kaieteur National Park located in Region Eight (Potaro-Siparuni), which now has a runway boosting a total length of 3000 feet thus making is easier for pilots to land at the country’s most iconic tourism attraction. The 1,000-ft extension was carried out by the 4 Engineers Battalion of the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) which supplied the manpower with support from the Public Works Ministry, which financed and supervised the works.
Costing $564.5 million, this critical extension will allow for larger carriers to land at the park, significantly increasing tourist traffic to the majestic Kaieteur Falls.

“Many people doubted the decision as to who would’ve gotten this [airstrip] done. But the men and women in uniform have never failed me as Commander-in-Chief and I have full trust and confidence [in them],” President Ali declared during remarks at the commissioning ceremony.
Some 120 troops from the GDF worked on the extended runway, which was considered an extremely challenging project given its remote location. Among them was the late Brigadier (Ret’d) Gary Beaton of the GDF, who was among the five servicemen killed in the tragic helicopter crash in December 2023.

Brigadier Beaton along with Lieutenant Colonel Michael Charles, Colonel Michael Shahoud, Lieutenant Colonel Sean Welcome, and Warrant Officer Class 2 Jason Khan was part of a seven-member crew onboard the army’s Bell 412 helicopter on a command mission when it went down over Guyana’s jungle about nine miles southeast of Blake Slater’s airstrip, Ekereku Top, Cuyuni River, on December 6, 2023.
Another notable figure who initially worked on the runway extension was Senior Engineer at the Public Works Ministry, the late Dionne Amsterdam, who died in March 2022. During Friday’s commissioning ceremony, the airstrip extension was dedicated to both Brigadier Beaton and Amsterdam.
The Commander-in-Chief congratulated the GDF ranks for their hard work on the project, which required 6800 sticks of dynamite to blast away the stones that previously lined the path of the new airstrip. As a tribute to their hard work, he committed to awarding the ranks with medals.

Adding value to Kaieteur National Park
According to President Ali, the project is more than just the extension of an airstrip, but it is adding value to the national park as a product.
“Kaieteur National Park is going to be the most iconic natural tourism wonder in the world. I guarantee you… So, for all the stakeholders, from a safety perspective, from an aviation perspective, from a tourism perspective…this project adds value, improves lives and advances development,” the Head of State posited.
Similarly, Public Works Minister Juan Edghill also highlighted the impact this extended runway will have for tourism to one of Guyana’s main attractions.
“I am happy that with 3000ft, we can now bring in every other plane right now except the Beechcraft, and I think we have to keep working towards that so that we can bring in bigger aircraft and we are going to continue that. Pilots who used to come here, they can now see how safer it is, they can see how much more they can do in terms of bringing costs down because the payload is better, they can manage” the Minister stated. Edghill also recognised the exemplary efforts of the teams that worked on the project, highlighting that the coordination between the two Government entities was “seamless”.
“Mister President, I’m happy that you’ve already given that instruction to the Chief of Defence Staff to reward and honour by way of medals all the men who worked. They did some work here that was unbelievable…and I really want to congratulate all of you who worked on this project,” Minister Edghill said.
This is the first time that significant work was done since the construction of the initial 2000ft runway in the 1940s. The 1000ft extension will be replicated at a number of other airstrips across the country, through a collaborative approach with the GDF.
Meanwhile, to continue the further expansion of the Kaieteur National Park, contracts have already been awarded for the enhancement of the facilities to accommodate visitors. These upgrades are being done through the National Parks Commission and are expected to be completed in the coming months.
Attending the commissioning ceremony were National Security Advisor Captain Gerry Gouveia, Chief of Defence Staff Brigadier Omar Khan, National Intelligence Director Colonel Shildon Howell, and former Minister Dr Jennifer Westford, who is widow of Brigadier Beaton.