AIR Services Limited (ASL) was yesterday described as a sterling example of a privately owned company that is making full use of the private sector enabling environment created by the People’s Progressive Party/ Civic (PPP/C) Government over the past 20 years.

This according to Minister of Transport and Hydraulics, Mr. Robeson Benn during the commissioning yesterday of a Bell 206 4 Helicopter owned by the ASL, the first ever privately owned and operated commercial helicopter service in the country.
The commissioning ceremony of the helicopter acquired by the company at a cost of US$1.5M was held at the hangar at Ogle, East Coast Demerara, in the presence of members of the diplomatic community, leaders of the private sector, representatives of the mining community and the Guyana Tourism Authority (GTA), Staffers of ASL, and Miss Guyana World, Ms. Arti Cameron. The Bell 206 4 Long Ranger can reach speeds up to 130 knots per hour (150 MPH), heights of up to 13,500 feet, has a range of 493 Kilometers (306 miles) which can be lengthened with the addition of an extra fuel tank, can seat seven persons, including the pilot, and has attached to the belly an aerial crane with a heli-lift capacity for loads of up to 2000 pounds in weight.
The Bell 206 also has a capacity for two stretchers which will facilitate a role as a medical evacuation aircraft, as well as a tool for search and rescue operations.
In a feature address during the commissioning, Minister Benn stressed that the acquisition of the aircraft and its entry into service exemplifies how Guyana is growing from strength to strength as a country, as a result of the close partnership between the private sector and the government.
He said, “Over these 20 years, our government has strategically moved our country along a path which sees greater involvement in partnerships and collaboration with our private sector for the development of our country.”
“This has been a strategic endeavour and all the tactical initiatives along the way have been directed towards this policy direction. The environment has been created. As a result, government is happy to note that ASL has stepped up to the plate dramatically to bring a service and improvement to fellow Guyanese.”
Minister Benn noted that in the presence of a peak in the mining and forestry sectors, of issues relating to the Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS), the Amaila Falls hydro project, among others, the presence of the helicopter, backed up by all the services that will be necessary to ensure its proper operation, is very welcome.
He called on other operators in the private sector to take note of ASL as a shining example with the kind of initiatives they should undertake in the development of the country.
He said, “I think that this is the significant thing; we have to take ownership, we have to develop the country,”
ASL’s Annette Arjoon stressed that ASL is on the move.
She said that service by fixed-wing aircraft to locations where airstrips exist can now be complemented by helicopter servicing operations which are days away from the nearest airstrip, and where helipads can be constructed at a fraction of the cost.
This would also reduce the arduous logistics of having to drop supplies over challenging terrain for days on end.
Mining operations can now save downtime by having essential spares delivered to site and monitoring of the operations can now be done much more effectively.
She said: “We feel the timing and the conditions are perfect for this move.”
“All the evidence suggests that Guyana is on the cusp of even further growth, with the robust expansion now evident in gold mining and forestry, as well as in other sectors and high expectations for the petroleum industry.”
She added “We at ASL are convinced that this widening of the country’s air services we are implementing today will play a role in accelerating the pace of our country’s development, and we remain committed to cooperating with the government and the private sector in turning potential development into the real thing for all Guyanese.”
Mrs. Simona Broomes, President of the Guyana Woman Miners Association (GWMA), sprinkled the aircraft with water as an invocation for blessings after prayers had been said by Imam Shaheed Mohamed and ASL staffer, Dax John, who is a member of the Patamona tribe.
Arjoon-Martins disclosed that the   Bell 206 Registration # 8R-GTR is named after valued ASL employee,  Tularam Ramsukh, who holds the post of Maintenance Manager and has contributed significantly to the development of the company.
The last two letters of the Bell 206 helicopter are his initials.
Arjoon disclosed that ASL has the required maintenance staff, and also a fully qualified helicopter pilot and approved helicopter flight instructor who can train local pilots in its operation.
Minister Benn and a number of invitees, including members of the media, were taken “up and away” over Ogle and Georgetown in two flights in the Bell 206, each lasting about 10 minutes.