Local airlines will need to increase their flights to accommodate both the boom in the mining industry while at the same time continue to service Guyana’s emerging tourism sector, stakeholders have said.
Currently, Guyana’s localised air service providers, including Roraima Airways, Trans Guyana Airways and Air Services Limited are responsible for the vast majority of flights throughout Guyana catering for private businesses and tourists. Many of the operators work on a first come first serve basis, which sometimes puts tourists at a disadvantage as very often their numbers, are not enough to command a full charter. But aviators says this is more often the most logical way to conduct business as it ensures that airlines are able to keep their planes from being grounded.
Roraima Airways Managing Director, Captain Gerry Gouveia told Guyana Times International on Tuesday that “miners will charter the whole plane”, but tourists are not guaranteed, and therefore when charters are booked, Roraima must be able to facilitate this need.
Patrick Harding
Gouveia did however note that if tour guides are able to charter planes, then Roraima is more than willing to fly tourists to their destinations. “We have three planes, so we can’t really designate one for tourism and one for mining,” Gouveia told this publication.
He added that through an agreement with Reunion Manganese Inc, Roraima airlines is able to fill planes on a consistent basis and transport miners to the Northwest District. The mining industry is on the upswing, and as a result, companies are making arrangements to ensure that their workers, supplies and fuels are able to routinely find its way into the interior regions.
The tourisms sector is not as lucky as it does not, and cannot, have the kind of targeted money that the mining industry is capable of. Gouveia, who also operates a tourist resort, said the unavailability of flights to service both industries was not so much a private sector issue, but that the government of Guyana needs to take on a bigger role when addressing tourism.
Gouveia noted that mining and private contracting of airlines is where business is heading because the tourism industry is expensive. “Our planes are even flying for less than they would in other places like Jamaica and Belize,” he told this publication.
Kit Nascimento
Currently, the approximate cost of flying one of the company’s Britten Norman Islanders is around US$ 700 an hour, this would most likely be US$ 200 higher in other Caribbean countries with an established tourism sector, an airline source said. Price is a major deterrent for many tourists, which is why the tourism sector is in need of a public image boost that can only be fully effective if the government takes this on.
Currently, Gouveia noted that Roraima Airways operates 300 flights a month. Giving a breakdown of the flights, Gouveia stated that approximately 40 per cent of flights are through its contract with FedEx Express, 30 per cent is the transporting of miners and supplies and the remaining 30 per cent would be tourism and domestic flying.
Captain Gouveia noted that the mining industry is fully capable of addressing its own needs, but the tourism sector is dependent on both private and public sponsorship.
Reunion Manganese Incorporated Chief Operating Officer, Joachim Bayah noted that the company “uses almost all the services and have standing flight arrangements with caravan owners to send in food, supplies and other cargo weekly”.
As one of the larger mining companies to venture in Guyana, Reunion is well equipped with the funds to transport their workers.
According to Ogle Airport Public Relations officer, Kit Nascimento “mining is obviously doing a lot of flying,” but ensuring that both the mining and the tourism industries are well engaged is what airlines need to be concerned with.
Nascimento noted that the availability of domestic aircrafts is the only way to grow the local tourism industry. He believes that tourists are capable of flying throughout Guyana, however due to their small numbers, local airlines have to look for other markets.
Nascimento believes that in order to address the issue of flights being available to tourists, a more structured tour operation system must be in place. He said at the moment, individual tourist contact individual airlines as opposed to going through travel agencies which would ensure that seats on aircraft are properly allocated.
