Air traffic in and out of Guyana to increase

With effect from May 27, for a period of one-month, Caribbean Airlines will fly an additional flight that is expected to add 900 seats to the country’s airlift capacity, acting Tourism, Industry and Commerce Minister Irfaan Ali disclosed last Friday, while speaking to Guyanese media.
Additionally, as the ministry continues to look at having more airlines ply the Guyana route, from June 27 to the end of September, there will be an increase in daily flights.

“You will have daily flights to the US… in addition to that, once the traffic remains high, the daily flights will continue past September into the Christmas season,” Minister Ali stated.
The Tourism Ministry has been marketing Guyana as a viable tourism destination through its arm, the Guyana Tourism Authority (GTA), and it is expected that tourist arrivals will increase.
“Government is indeed putting a lot of emphasis on tourism now… we have also seen a tremendous increase in traffic to our website,” added the minister. Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA) Chief Executive Officer Ramesh Ghir highlighted that with CAL, there will be two weekly flights to Toronto, and steps are also being taken towards contracting routes in every continent.
Since Delta Airlines pulled out from the Guyana market, government has been making desperate moves to attract other airlines. Only last week, it was reported that government had made initial approaches to reputable Asian, North American and neighbouring South American airlines, in the ongoing effort to broaden the range of commercial air services operating the Guyana route.
The Government Information Agency (GINA) said that among them is JetBlue Airways Corporation, an American low-cost airline headquartered in Long Island, New York, which according to President Donald Ramotar, is awaiting the completion of the airport runway extension.
Despite the recent budget cuts to the airport expansion project, the government is optimistic that the development plans for the air transport sector will allow for expansion of traditional trade ties with North America and Europe, while simultaneously broadening the relationship with major economies such as Brazil, India, Russia and China.
Trinidad’s Caribbean Airlines was recently granted flag carrier status, allowing it to conduct direct flights between Georgetown and New York, Georgetown and Toronto.