Fly Guyana to begin operations in October

Fly Guyana has announced that it will launch its flights out of Guyana in October, according to a representative of the new airline, Harry Chowbey.
“We spoke to the government of Guyana which was very supportive of this, and in the near future, Guyana will have back their airline,” he revealed. Chowbey said the other airlines have all been doing a great job and expressed the hope that all agents will support the venture.
Alluding to the scope of the operations, he explained that the new airline will fly the Georgetown-New York route seven days a week and that the management will direct all of its energies towards managing this route before expanding. “Our message will be simple, come home to Guyana,” Chowbey stated.
Over the past few months, the government has committed to exploring new avenues to remedy the current shortfall in airlift to Guyana, particularly since the exit of EZjet and Delta Airlines.
Guyana’s acting Tourism, Industry and Commerce Minister Irfaan Ali reiterated the dedication to this goal and reassured that the challenge to provide adequate and reliable airlift to and from Guyana was being met head on as the government has been engaging other airlines, including COPA Airlines and JetBlue, to begin operations in Guyana.
Added to this, Fly Jamaica is expected to start operations in Guyana by the end of July, and will be transporting passengers to New York, Canada, and Caribbean countries. According to Roxanne Reece, one of the carrier’s executives, the airline hopes to have all arrangements settled by this time to place Guyana on the first leg before beginning Toronto fights.
Even with the possibility that these new airlines will increase capacity, Minister Ali has noted that given the aggressive marketing campaign currently underway, there will still be need for additional airlift to adequately service the market. Word about the Guyana tourism product is spreading like wildfire across North America as the Tourism Ministry and Guyana Tourism Authority (GTA) continue their marketing and sensitisation campaign.
Government in early June announced that it had granted its approval for Fly Guyana to operate the Georgetown/New York and the Georgetown/Toronto routes from Guyana. Head of the Presidential Secretariat (HPS) and Cabinet Secretary, Dr Roger Luncheon said then, the airline has welcomed the decision by Guyana. Dr Luncheon stated that the approval came after the standard evaluative procedures were carried out by the Guyana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA), and the recommendation was made to Cabinet by Public Works Minister Robeson Benn.
Dr Luncheon said the approval would have come earlier, but the submission made to Cabinet was too late to be incorporated into the agenda for the statutory meeting. Dr Luncheon explained that Fly Guyana would have completed those requirements and deposited the required bond of Gy$40 million before the recommendation could have been made to Cabinet by Minister Benn. (Guyana Times)