Determined to fight till the end, the National Aircraft Transport Association (NATA) continues to protest the decision to rename the Ogle International Airport even as the official rebranding ceremony is set for today. In a public announcement, NATA noted with deep disappointment that the A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance For Change (APNU/AFC) government blatantly ignored their pleas for a reconsideration of the decision to rename the Airport after Guyana’s first Public Transport Minister Eugene Correia, a name which coincides with that of the Chairman of the Ogle Airport Inc. Michael Correia.
According to NATA, this will add to the already filled vessel of complaints regarding anti-competitive behaviour of the Board of Ogle Airport Inc.
Ogle International Airport
The Private Sector Commission (PSC) recently came out and supported this position.
However government has totally disregarded those concerns, insisting it does not need approval from the aircraft operators on the renaming of the facility.
NATA is made up of nine operators of the ten aircraft owners, accounting for 90 per cent of the aircraft located at the Ogle Airport and for this reason, the organisation is deeply worried that the government refused to hold consultations with them on the matter.
Moreover, NATA pointed out that the rash decision to rename the airport will result in unnecessary expenses.
It contended that a name change requires coordination and cooperation by all concerned since every billboard, statutory and other paraphernalia will need to be adjusted accordingly, at costs some of which will have to be borne by government.
NATA said it plans to do all in its power to influence the reversal of the renaming. Already, the body has matters pending before the High Court and the Court of Appeal.
Meanwhile, the renaming ceremony of the Ogle Airport is slated to commence at 17:00h today during which President David Granger and Public Infrastructure Minister David Patterson will be delivering remarks.
Last year when the issue first surfaced, President Granger met with a group after the proposal met strong objections from most of the airline operators who work out of the Ogle Airport. They pointed to the fact that one of the airlines at Ogle, Trans Guyana, is owned by the Correia Group and that group’s owner is already the Chairman of the Airport.
