MINISTER of Tourism, Industry and Commerce, Mr. Manniram Prashad said progress is being made in consideration of a proposal, from a group of investors out of Greece and other places, for a locally-based airline.

The carrier would ply North American and Caribbean routes, he said in an invited comment, following an announcement by President Bharrat Jagdeo, earlier last week.
“We are in constant contact with them,” Prashad said.

He said the investors are working closely with Guyana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) to sort out the requisite paper work and are expected to set up a company here.
Prashad said they will be seeking to acquire the aircraft overseas for the introduction of the new service and the investment is expected to be realised by year end.
He explained that, apart from the Greeks, talks are ongoing with other entities, including Jet Blue Airways and KLM (Royal Dutch Airlines).

“Jet Blue and KLM have requested more information on things like the arrivals in Guyana and we provided them with that…our discussions are ongoing,” Prashad offered.

He also revealed that, with Suriname President Desi Bouterse visiting on Monday, there might be possible discussions about the way forward with the Dutch, as it would be a good opportunity to advance dialogue over the proposed airline.

Prashad reiterated that the aim, most importantly, is to reduce the prices for travel abroad.