PUBLIC Works and Transport Minister Robeson Benn has reiterated that government is committed to the expansion of the Cheddi Jagan International Airport, at Timehri. Speaking Tuesday at a ceremony there to mark the inaugural EZjet flight from Guyana to Toronto, Canada, he said the airline is moving apace to ensure development of the industry in terms of movement of aircraft and passengers in and out of the country.
Benn said it is significant, since the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of EZjet, Mr. Sonny Ramdeo, is a Guyanese “who is interested in involving and investing in his country coming out of the diaspora” and it is bringing positive benefits.
“It is important and I have always stressed the point that the link to the diaspora is a very significant and important one,” he remarked.
Continuing, he said:“President Donald Ramotar, recently again, on visits overseas, in his engagements with the diaspora spoke particularly about the importance of the Guyanese diaspora. Now second and third generations, in some cases, coming back, re-engage, learning their heritage, learning about their country, investing in their country, bringing their skills, experience and knowledge back to help to continue develop our country.”
In this regard, Benn took the opportunity to thank Ramdeo for his initiative.
An opportunity
Alluding to the development of the local tourism industry, the minister said this is an opportunity to improve the tourism product.
“The Cheddi Jagan International Airport, in terms of its future plans, has been under some scrutiny with respect to our plans for its development and I would say that we were surprised, to some extent, as to some of the utterances made with respect to this development,” he said.
However, the minister assured:“We remain committed to the arrangement.”
Recognising the competitive environment, he also stated:“If we are being encouraged to run backwards or if there is some interest who don’t recognise that they, too, have a stake in these developments, we will not make the type of progress that I am sure all persons in Guyana want for their country.”
Benn appealed, particularly, to some sections of the media to be more circumspect and seek the correct information, with respect to some of these issues.
He said the airline industry, internationally, in his view, is still going through turbulent times, with issues of the global recession, high fuel cost, and environmental management.
“The fact that we are having growth in this area in Guyana points to an opportunity that we have under our peculiar circumstances and relations and geographic position, this opportunity we must take advantage of,” Benn urged.
The minister said there are continuing challenges with respect to continuing the development of activities at the CJIA and alluded to the matter of squatters around the airport.
“I see the press keep going on and on about squatters and, basically, repeating issues which, if there was any modicum of investigative journalism used, they would find or discern or be provided with certain facts.
Difficult issue
“It is a difficult issue. We are prepared to sit down, again, because we have, several times, given them notices; we have had discussions with them; we are prepared to sit down with them to work out this issue.
“But we recognise two things: one, they are squatters and two, they have to come off the airport land to facilitate the expansion of this airport and to allow for proper, ordered national development,” he pointed out.
Benn said:“We are fully committed towards ensuring that we have a new airport building, a new expanded runway, a safer arrangement and that we are committed towards working with operators, like EZjet, to provide safe, efficient and cheap but competitive air fares to and from Guyana and that we are able to move fairly freely.”