‘We are equipped to handle increase in aviation sector’ – Director General

With an influx of new airlines displaying interest in entering the Guyanese market, the Guyana Civil Aviation Authority said it will be able to handle any increase in the aviation sector.
This was the position shared by Director General of the GCAA, Egbert Field, on the sidelines of an event on Friday. He stated that they have planned for this upward trajectory and will continue to ascend towards greater efficiency.
“Looking ahead with what is coming, I am confident that we will be able [to] surmount any tsunami or waves that comes to Guyana. We’ll be able to handle any amount of airlines. It’s difficult. The staff is working hard but I have planned for it and I can see us really riding the waves in a cruise fashion. At the moment, we’re on a climb but we’ll be able to handle any airline when it comes in.”
According to him, a robust workforce of efficient professionals is needed to manage the sector. Fields also explained that they have built the Authority, in recent time, in light of the growing demands.
“Unless we build ourselves to a robust size, with enough certified, qualified personnel, we would not be able to handle the aviation business. I dare to say, if this authority had remained at the level it was in 2016, it would have been in serious trouble right now,” he related.
Two weeks ago, GCAA and Qatar Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) recently inked an Air Services Agreement to offer new routes from Guyana. The agreement permits Qatar’s national carrier, Qatar Airways, to operate any number of passenger and cargo flights as well as cooperation between the carriers concerned.
There were reports that United Kingdom-based Virgin Atlantic Airways had expressed interest in expanding its service to Georgetown. However, the airline has since denied such a move.
Guyana Times International had reached out to Virgin Atlantic, whose representative said they do not have any confirmation of plans to launch in Guyana.
Last December, Copa Airlines announced that it would be adding another flight to its Guyana-Panama route with onward connections. With approval, Copa was set to operate the additional flight on Fridays, adding to existing flights on Saturday, Sunday, Tuesday, and Wednesday.
Prior to that, American Airlines launched its operations with four flights weekly. American Airlines is one of the largest airlines in the world with well over 1000 aircrafts in its fleet, over 6000 daily flights serving over 350 destinations in over 55 countries.