OGLE Airport Incorporated (OAI) on Monday debunked statements published in the Sunday’s edition of the Kaieteur News which suggest that U.S. oil giant, ExxonMobil has identified some 10 acres of land from OAI to construct its headquarters and a hotel.

In a statement to the media, OAI said the article published under the headline: “ExxonMobil to build HQ, hotel, helipad, training centre, etc…identified 10 acres of land from Ogle Airport Inc.” is “entirely based on unsourced and speculative misinformation”.
The newspaper, quoted OAI’s Public Relations Officer (PRO), Kit Nascimento as confirming that the oil company is looking to obtain lands. “The airport is in discussion with ExxonMobil with regard to the possibility of leasing some land to ExxonMobil,” Nascimento was quoted as saying.

However, in its statement, OAI said, its PRO confirmed to Kaieteur News that Esso Exploration and Production Guyana Limited (ESSO), is in discussion with OAI for the lease of land for the purpose of building its head office and nothing else.
“There is no truth to the paper’s speculation and headline with respect to any other ESSO facility to be built at the Airport,” OAI’s statement said, while stressing that OAI is a solely owned and operated Guyanese company.

Similarly, it was reported in another section of the media that ExxonMobil has refuted the Kaieteur News article, stating that it has no intention of building a hotel but is looking to establish a commission here.
The company’s Senior Director of Public and Government Affairs, Kimberly Brasington, told the Guyana Times newspaper that “I can confirm that ExxonMobil Guyana is not planning to build a hotel; that is inaccurate information.”

“We currently lease two office buildings. (So) we are looking at options to commission an office to accommodate our long-term growth and commitment to Guyana over the next several decades,” Brasington was quoted as saying in the Guyana Times.

Meanwhile, OAI has said that there are a number of applications, including ESSO, for the purpose of leasing land at the airport under the provisions of the Lease Agreement between OAI and the Government. Those applications are pending for the review of the processing of the leasing of state lands by the Guyana Lands & Surveys Commission.

Additionally, OAI has refuted statements which suggest that a young pilot and entrepreneur had applied for 100 square feet of land for the building of a hangar, and that the pilot’s application was not acknowledged.
“The newspaper’s report that an application from a small aircraft operator to lease land for the purpose of building a hangar at the Airport has not been acknowledged by the Airport, is entirely false.”

OAI said the airport has been providing for some time “a light aircraft parking apron, at the cost of the Airport, and has provided terminal offices at concessionary rates for two of the light aircraft operators.” OAI said all major aircraft operators at the Eugene F. Correia International Airport have already leased land and have built substantial facilities for their operations at the airport.