With Gov’t support…
All agencies under the umbrella of the Ministry of Public Works and Communications involved in providing transportation services across the country recorded a successful 2009.

Minister of Transport and Hydraulics, Robeson Benn, and heads of the various agencies under the Public Works Ministry involved in transportation updated the media on the sector’s performance for 2009 at a press conference held at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport Corporation (CJIAC), on Monday

Minister of Transport and Hydraulics, Robeson Benn, inspects the control tower where the new equipment will be installed within a few months.

Cognizant of the demands of a globalised world, Government has been dedicating resources towards improving the services offered by the country’s main port of entry, the Cheddi Jagan International Airport.

To commence a successful year, the airport’s Aerodrome Certificate was renewed through an audit conducted by the Guyana Civil Aviation Authority (GCCA). This has led to the continuous flourishing operations of the airport.

In spite of occurrences around the world, the airport was able to secure an income of $600M. However, it witnessed a decline in international aircraft landing due to the 17% reduction seen internationally.

Movement of passengers, cargo and aircraft
Regardless of challenges from the international arena which saw a reduction of 3.1% in passenger movement, the CJIAC had a good year with a 5% increase in passenger movement. Locally, there was a 4% decline in imported cargo as against 15% in cargo movement worldwide.

The airport recorded a total of 3,652 international aircraft movements which represent a 17% decline as compared to 2008. However, the decline was due to airlines reducing capacity and increasing payload. In addition, there was an overall decline of 3.1% in aircraft movement worldwide.

Human Resource Capacity
To ensure that the airport staff provides quality service to customers, CJIAC conducted training sessions in Customer Care, First Aid, Aviation Security, Vehicle Operators’ Permit and Team Building.

In addition, security at the airport has been boosted with 10 security guards who supplement the work of the Guyana Police Force. The inclusion of the Security Unit has been receiving positive responses from stakeholders.

Minster Benn speaks to consultant Giuseepe Caraubba on the progress of the taxiway at CJIA.

Equipment
In order to improve the efficiency of the airport, the administration embarked upon upgrading the facilities with advanced equipment. CJIAC and airlines signed an agreement with SITA for the supply and installation of a new Common User Terminal Equipment (CUTE).

By June 2010, the airport will boast 20 new check-in-systems, two passenger self check-in-kiosks and a flight information display system.

To prevent overheating on the 750kva generator, the Corporation purchased a new radiator.

Navigational aids were repaired and serviced by the airport. Flight checks were conducted on the Precision Approach Path Indicator and VHF Omni-directional Range (VOR) to ensure that they were calibrated. The runway end indicator light was serviced and is operational. Moreover, the Mimic Control Board was serviced and continues to monitor and manage the lighting system in the aerodrome.

Rehabilitation and Construction
The airport embarked upon rehabilitating and constructing key facilities to ensure the safety and security of aircraft and to provide a more comfortable environment for passengers.

Rehabilitation of the international apron and taxiway at a cost of $247M was undertaken by the airport and will be completed by March. To improve the lighting facilities around the runway, the lighting protection system was upgraded and the earthing pits were serviced. Currently, the runway has more than adequate lights to ensure that it is well illuminated. Other repair works were done on the cables and transformers.

Parking facilities at the international port of entry will be upgraded with a new car park booth that will be computerised. Construction of this facility commenced last year and is expected to be completed next month.

Concessions
The airport granted concessions to the Oasis Café and King’s Jewellery to set up business in the departure lounge, and there is Republic Bank ATM facility at the arrivals area, while Roti Hut and Rituals Coffee will be situated in the arrival and departure areas.

Museum
This project, initiated by Minister Benn, has seen t
he conversion of an abandoned DC3 aircraft into a museum. The Douglas DC-3 Museum is air-conditioned with seating facilities and has a flat screen television that demonstrates virtual flights. It has a fully equipped cockpit and is open to students.

Emergency Exercise
Response to emergencies in a timely and orderly manner is pertinent to the effectiveness of an international airport and as such the entity expedited the Airport Emergency Plan in the form of a simulated aircraft crash. The exercise, which involved 300 persons from key agencies, including the Guyana Defence Force and GCCA, was successful with respect to achieving ICAO requirements.

Guyana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA)
Modernization
One significant achievement of the GCAA was the signing of a contract with INTELCAN for the provision of equipment for the modernization of Navigational Aids Equipment for the control tower at Timehri, with $660M provided by Government.

Ogle Airport Incorporated (OAI) will also be experiencing equipment upgrading at a cost of $30M.

An assessment was conducted to ascertain the requirements of both airports and the proposal is currently with the relevant officials for perusal.

Two VHF transceivers and an HF radio were purchased to supplement the back-up communications system. In addition, a new 225kva generator has been installed and is operational.

Another success at the entity is the certification of Ogle Airport Incorporated as an international airport. The runway at the airport has been improved to facilitate large regional planes. This project will be completed this year.

Human Resource capacity
For the GCAA, one of the most valuable and scarce resources is skilled personnel, and as such the entity has conducted several training programmes to enhance the knowledge base of the entity.

Seven Trainee Air Traffic Control Officers successfully completed classroom and simulator checks and were placed on “On the Job Training” from a batch of 14. Twenty five persons were recruited in May 2009, 11 completed the course and 9 have successfully completed facility checks.

Safety Management Systems Training was conducted by ICAO and most senior management personnel, including persons from the industry, successfully completed the course.

Security
Security is necessary for a functional aviation sector, and as such the Ogle Airport Incorporated’s Security programme was approved in February 2009. Security inspections were conducted at the CJIAC, OAI and hinterland airstrips.

An aviation security risk assessment was conducted by the AVSEC Division for the CJIAC. This was done to provide aviation security training for stakeholders.

Operating licences
The authority issued licences to three scheduled operators, GUM AIR N.V, Trans Guyana Airways, and Caribbean Airlines Ltd. Non-scheduled and charter operators were recipients of permits to operate.

Transport and Harbours Department
The commissioning of the Berbice River Bridge has led to the Transport and Harbours Department re-assigning its vessels that plied the Rosignol to New Amsterdam crossing to the Essequibo River, improving the service in that area.

Owing to the proper management of the entity, there was a reduction in back-log of vessels scheduled to be docked for repairs in 2008. These were MV Lady Northcote and the ML Thompson, at a cost of $33M each, and the MV Makouria at a cost of $74.8M.

Three emergency dockings were executed on the MV Barima, MV Torani and MV Kimbia. These works were done to improve the service of the vessels and to secure the safety of passengers.

In an effort to provide proper facilities for citizens, the entity expended $9.5M and $5.3M for the supply of materials for rehabilitative works on the goods wharf and Parika stelling respectively.

The department acquired Navigational Aids at a cost of $27.3M and was also supplied with spares for the vessels at a cost of $286M.

For the year 2009, the department transported 303,000 passengers, 48,000 vehicles and 102,000 tonnes of cargo.