National carrier required before CJIA becomes category 1 airport – GCAA Head

The Director General of the Guyana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA), Colonel Egbert Field recently explained that before the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA) becomes a category 1 airport, the country has to have a national carrier.

GCAA Director General, Colonel Egbert Field

“Well as far as I’m concerned, Guyana can acquire category 1 next if we’re inspected, as soon as we are inspected by the FAA (Federal Aviation Administration), I think we have the capacity, we’re at that level of category 1, the only thing we have not been inspected to formally say yes are, and the reason why unless you have an airline based in your country only then can you ask for an inspection for category 1, that airline must be based in your country and willing to fly to North America.”
Category 1 refers to airports that serve all types of scheduled operations of air carrier aircraft that are designed to facilitate 31 passengers, or any large air carrier aircraft as well as any other types of air carrier operations.
“Once that happens, FAA will come down and they will inspect and they will categorise you in whatever category you fall in as I said with the robust oversight by the authority, where we are in safety oversight capability and our compliance, I have no doubt that Guyana could achieve category 1 if given an inspection,” field explained.
The Director noted that if you do not have a locally-based airline but request the inspection from the FAA it will only last for 60 days.
“If you don’t have an airline and you request the FAA to come and do an inspection just for the sake of category 1, to acquire category 1 and you have no airline in place then having that category 1 it will only last for 60 days, after 60 days it expires because you do not any operations into the US.”
“So, it’s like having a Limousine in your garage and you can’t drive it and after 60 days the wheels blow off,” he stated.
Field further stated that he is hoping that someone will step up and help Guyana make a bold step in this direction to achieve category 1 status.
“I’m looking forward to some brave person or persons putting together an airline in Guyana, having it certified by us and I am thinking about an airline flying large aircraft to North America so that we can then apply for the category 1 status.”