“Surinam Airways has no plans to withdraw from Guyana market” – Westerborg

Surinam Airways Station Manager Rudi Westerborg said there has been an unusually surprising increase in passenger volume during the January-March off-peak season.
Westerborg, during an interview last week, told Guyana Times International that the airline has been experiencing larger volumes of passenger bookings than normal during January, February and March.
He disclosed that despite unfortunate reports being peddled that the airline was “going out of business”, Surinam Airways has no plans to withdraw from the market.

“I don’t know where these rumours are coming from… we have received many calls from passengers asking whether we are refunding people because we are going out of business. This is absolutely not true,” Westerborg said.
He detailed that the effect of the rumours have not had much of an impact on the airline’s business, but have served to create fear and panic among passengers.
Responding to questions about the airline’s entry into the Georgetown/ New York route, Westerborg stated that airline executives met with government as recent as last week to further discussions on the issue.
While he would not comment on a timeframe, the airline manager stated that every new decision is not without its risks and the airline would have to carefully consider its options.
According to Westerborg, both the government and the airline have their limits as to the amount of liability that can be incurred.
However, he remains optimistic that the airline will eventually be able to fly to alternative destinations in the United States, sometime in the near future.
This newspaper understands that Surinam Airways will also be moving to increase the number of scheduled flights between Georgetown and Miami in response to the high demand from its Guyanese passengers.
Westerborg refrained from mentioning when the additional flights would come into fruition, but said that this depends on the procurement of an additional 737 aircraft, which the airline is expecting shortly.
Surinam Airways started flying the Georgetown/ Miami route on April 3, 2012 and has offered cheaper fares than its competitors since its introduction.
The Georgetown/ Miami route is non-stop and from the company’s assessment, Guyanese travellers are extremely satisfied with the services offered.
During last month, the government of Guyana approached Surinam Airways to initiate discussion on having the airline service the Georgetown-New York route.
President Donald Ramotar and a delegation, which included Foreign Affairs Minister Carolyn Rodrigues- Birkett and Home Affairs Minister Clement Rohee approached the airline at the 24th Intersessional Caricom heads of government meeting, in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, on February 20.
If all goes well, Surinam Airlines is likely to fill the void that will be created by the May exit of Delta Airlines from the Guyana market. Surinam Airways Vice President Clyde Cairo had even hinted that the airline could start servicing the route as early as July.
“We have discussed possibilities; yes, there are options which we will look into… I need to report to my board first… effective July, we can begin servicing this route, either non-stop or via another point,” Cairo had said.
The possible entry of Surinam Airline into direct competition with Caribbean Airlines could eventually see the Dutch carrier dominate the market should Delta Airlines carry through with its announced withdrawal in May.