CAL promises improved services, lower rates
NEWLY appointed Chief
Executive Officer (CEO) of
Caribbean Airlines Limited
(CAL), Garvin Medera
NEWLY appointed Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Caribbean Airlines Limited (CAL), Garvin Medera

NEWLY appointed Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Caribbean Airlines Limited (CAL), Garvin Medera, said the Trinidad-owned airline remains committed to the people of Guyana, promising better services and lower rates in the future.

“We at Caribbean Airlines are committed to serve Guyana in the future…we remain committed for the long term, and we remain committed to improving the service of Caribbean Airlines as we go forward,” Medera said during a press conference on Wednesday at the Private Sector Commission (PSC).

With Guyana likely to experience an economic boon in 2020 and thereafter, competition among regional and international carriers are likely to increase and according to Medera, Caribbean Airlines is very opened to a competitive market. “We are happy to partake in a competitive market, and that is one of the ways the people of Guyana will get the value that they deserve,” he stated.

The CEO posited that Caribbean Airlines is looking forward to connecting more of the markets together to build the economies of scale and ultimately pass on those economies of scale to the people of Guyana.

“We are always working towards that goal of providing reliable and better valued transport in the region, and the innovations that we have already started with the renewal of our fleet…would also help us to reduce our fuel expenditure and maintenance cost,” he said. He added that Caribbean Airlines is optimizing its operations.

The CEO said too that Caribbean Airlines is building on its legacy here in Guyana by becoming part of the communities in which it serves. The carrier is partnering with the Private Section Commission, the Tourism and Hospitality Association of Guyana (THAG), and considering becoming a member of National Air Transport Association (NATA).

“We see this as a start, and we see these organisations as key stakeholders in Guyana, and we see it as a start to understanding our customer’s needs, understanding how we need to adapt the service, but we also see it as a start to our push and our vision to better connect the Caribbean,” he told reporters.

Medera said there are a lot of gaps in regional travel, and Caribbean Airlines has taken up the mandate to fill those gaps, but not just in air transport; the company is moving to partner with its market.

“We are also interested in becoming a partner in each of the markets that we work in and that means understanding more than just the transportation needs. It means understanding the concerns that we have in Guyana, the concerns that we have in Jamaica, in Trinidad, etc,” he explained.

Recently, Caribbean Airlines would have partnered with the First Lady of Guyana, Sandra Granger, to facilitate her “Shoes that Grow” initiative.
Medera, who was appointed CEO of Caribbean Airline on October 10, 2018, met with representatives of government and the private sector on Wednesday.

President of NATA, Captain Gerry Gouveia, and Chairman of the Private Sector Commission, Desmond Sears, thanked Caribbean Airlines for its decades of service to the people of Guyana, but underscored the need for improvements. “Caribbean Airlines has been servicing Guyana for in excess of 70 years, and Caribbean Airlines has been here with us when other airlines come and they go, and Caribbean Airlines has stayed with Guyana,” Captain Gouveia said.

He urged the new CEO to place more focus on local content. “So we want you, for example in your services to Guyana, demonstrate not only in the back office of your operations, but in the front office of your operations, Guyanese content.

“Of the PSC – now we did had a pretty good meeting with the CEO– this is a follow up to an initiative that Caribbean Airlines took in September to engage the private sector businesses and what we are doing at the commission is sort of advance those discussions, and we are looking at having regular engagements

“Caribbean Airlines is a household, it is in the lives of Guyanese and the travelling public and the imaginary needs to be changed; many people would say negative things about Caribbean Airlines but Caribbean Airlines has been here for quite a long time.”
Roraima Airways Inc. Director of External Relations, Wesley Kirton, was among officials present at the meeting with NATA and Caribbean Airlines at the PSC.

SHARE THIS ARTICLE :
Facebook
Twitter
WhatsApp

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

All our printed editions are available online
emblem3
Subscribe to the Guyana Chronicle.
Sign up to receive news and updates.
We respect your privacy.