Guyana’s lone international airport, the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA) over the years has undergone a dramatic transformation from what it was a couple of decades ago and today, while there is scope for more improvements, the international terminal is now comparable to other airports in the region. The airport which had its origins in what was then the Atkinson Airfield, became the Timehri International Airport under the previous government which allowed it to deteriorate into a decrepit condition.
In keeping with the need to continuously upgrade the facility, President Bharrat Jagdeo recently announced that the airport will be further upgraded.
Speaking at a press conference at the Office of the President on Friday, President Bharrat Jagdeo said the upgrade works on the airport will see the runway being lengthened by a further 3,500 feet in addition to a new terminal building with eight air bridges.

“We have to get more [flights] into North America and Europe. We are exploring equity participation,” he said. “We were hoping that REDjet would fulfil its promise of more flights but they have some issues too,” he said.

Referring to the need to have more airlifts, the President said it is very vital to the future development of the country.
The President is absolutely correct when he asserts that more airlifts are vital to the future development of this country.
Over the last half of the century, air travel has become commonplace around the world. As a result, today’s airports have become more than utilitarian hubs.
According to leading architects and experts in the field, creating a calm, functional and aesthetically pleasing airport environment can make a huge difference when it comes to beating competition. Reducing the stress of international travel and providing enjoyable places to wait for aircraft to arrive can often be influencing factors when consumers and airlines choose to use your gates.
Belgian experts Franziska Kupfer and Frédéric Lagneaux note: “In the past few years, the logistics business has come to play a significant role in creating added value in the Benelux Belgium. Air transport and airports in particular are driving forces in this context, not only in terms of business generated within the air transport cluster, but also in terms of airports attractiveness. A close look at the top 20 cargo airports in Europe in 2006, shows us that three of the six Belgian airports are included in that list. Brussels Airport and Liège Airport occupy places 6 and 8 respectively, while Ostend-Bruges Airport ranks 20th. Moreover, in 2006, Brussels Airport was the 21st largest passenger airport in geographical Europe with 16.7 million passengers, and 19th within the EU.”
Of special significance with regard to this project is the disclosure that the airport will see the runway being lengthened by a further 3,500 feet. This is very good news, because larger aircraft will be able to land here; a problem which has been preventing more direct flights from coming here. Consequently, large numbers of people, including the Guyanese diaspora, have been having nightmares with intransit flights to Guyana.
At the pace of development Guyana is currently experiencing, this project has come just in time and will further stimulate investments into Guyana, which has seen an appreciable increase in recent years. Therefore, expansion and further modernizing of the airport is an imperative rather than an option.