FORMER Chairman of the Guyana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) Hugh Denbow has come in for flak from the Aircraft Owners Association of Guyana (AOAG) for recent observations he made about the state of the local aviation industry. The association, in a statement on Tuesday, deemed Denbow’s contention that it is not the responsibility of central government to develop and maintain hinterland airstrips as “extraordinary, completely unacceptable and marked departure” from his previous public professional position.
Denbow was, in 2013, Chair of the National Economic Forum Sub-Committee that recommended to the then government a National Aviation Policy and Action Plan for Guyana.
“The Aviation Policy and Action Plan,” AOAG says in its statement, “set a number of significant priorities for which the government should take responsibility, amongst them the implementation of a development plan for upgrading and extending of selected hinterland airstrips and aerodromes to accommodate larger aircraft (4,000 ft X 100 ft) supported by an efficient maintenance programme.”
The association believes that Denbow is attempting to shake hands with the current administration. “Mr Denbow, in an apparent about-face… suggests instead that this is somehow the responsibility of private operators. Public infrastructure, which, of course, includes roadways and bridges, drainage and irrigation, river stellings and docks and, yes, hinterland community airstrips are the responsibility of government and for which we pay taxes,” the statement said.
The article, published in the September 26 edition of the Guyana Chronicle and headlined “Denbow plugs PPP for aviation sector”, is of great concern to the association.
“The AOAG is, therefore, surprised that the former GCAA Chairman is now suggesting that it is not the responsibility of government to maintain government-owned and operated airstrips built for the express purpose of serving hinterland communities and to the standards set by the GCAA’s own safety regulations.”
Denbow in the article did state that Government does not have unlimited funds in its coffers and as such it is the responsibility of private aircraft owners to chip in but that statement too was met with venom.
“Mr. Denbow goes on to say ‘the government does not have unlimited money’ yet they choose to spend US$150,000 on one airport, a decision no doubt Mr. Denbow supports,” the release stated.
Also, the former GCAA chairman was flagged for stating that the recently commissioned Beechcraft 1900D, which is a modern aircraft owned by the Correia group is not designed to operate on unpaved airstrips.
“Mr Denbow, in fact, is completely wrong in arguing that aircraft such as the Cessna Caravan and now the much more advanced Beechcraft 1900D are unsuitable for operating on unpaved airstrips. These types of aircraft are, in fact, specifically designed for operations on grass and unpaved airstrips once the airstrips are properly maintained,” said the Association. Moreover, Denbow’s statement to the effect that private operators can do more to work with government to achieve desired results while not denied by the Association was met with rebuttal that private aircraft operators have over the years placed their “technical expertise and experience completely at the disposal of government in setting the priorities and in recommending the efficient and professional development of all active hinterland airstrips.”
In summing up, the Association did however agree entirely with the former GCAA chairman that safety is critical in the aviation sector and for far too long issues of safety were placed on the back burner; a statement it believes is a total contradiction to his previous comments.