– urges government to act on its vision for a stable national carrier
Weary with the continued wrangling regarding Caribbean Airlines state of affairs, the Red Jet fiasco, and other musings affecting regional and international travel between Guyana and other destinations, Guyanese at home and abroad are pressing the government to put a national airline into operation. While government had, in the past, expressed reluctance to get into the airline business, Cabinet has been encouraging the private sector to take up the challenge, while promising that government would support genuine airline ventures, in whatever way it could, in the interest of Guyana’s development.
To date, only two home grown entities seem to be heeding the call, while one has been operating mostly charter flights between Guyana and North America.
President Donald Ramotar, at the opening of Phase Two of the Ogle International Airport two weeks ago, had challenged Guyanese businessmen to rise to the occasion and engage Guyana’s development by putting competing aircraft into the sky.
While no new commitments have been received to date, members of the private sector seemed confident that the local business fraternity may subsequently get involved, once structural and other improvements at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport, Timehri, are completed.
They reiterated that Guyanese both at home and abroad may have to be patient with the process that usually precedes the emergence of an airline operation.
However, Guyanese on mainstream social networking sites have been heavily venting their opinions and increasing lack of survival confidence in Caribbean Airlines, while publicly pressing President Ramotar to seriously pursue the vision of a national carrier and not get distracted by anti-development elements that may be deterring this pursuit.
Most are of the view that unless government moves quickly to have an active national carrier in place, Caribbean Airlines may sooner or later leave us with our economic pants down.