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If aviation were a country, it would rank 19th in the world in terms of gross domestic product (GDP), generating US$539 billion of GDP per year, considerably larger than some members of the G20 (and around the same size as Switzerland).
By 2026, it is forecast that aviation will contribute US$1 trillion to world GDP. The importance of the industry to global economic development cannot be over emphasized and the above facts and figure clearly tells the story.
Aviation plays a vital role especially in emergencies like air ambulance and medical evacuation for seriously injured or unconscious persons and it is the easiest way to save a life.
Aviation has enabled business owners and investors to run business all over the world and they can be able to visit them physically within days and be back at the headquarters the same day by using either private charter or commercial flights. Not even forgetting countries affected by war where medical attention and relief supplies are required; it can be done in hours.
Within aviation, the sky is the limit and even transportation of fresh flowers and fresh vegetables can be flown and received when fresh and one might think it was planted there.
In the event of hijacking at the sea, aircrafts are able to deliver the negotiated ransom within hours and it can be parachuted without other people knowing. In supplement medicine, clothes, food, water can be parachuted using aircrafts.
In war torn areas like South Sudan, Darfur, Chad where people are suffering and there are no roads and there is insecurity. Indeed the aviation industry has contributed a lot in making our travel quick and also in saving peoples’ lives by segmenting air charter services with the right aircrafts and not leaving out the helicopter which is used where there are no airstrips.
Certain parts of our country, Guyana, can only be accessed by aircraft. As such, the aviation industry is vital and indeed it has been thriving and expanding in recent years, particularly since the Ogle airport has been upgraded. But one of the real successes of local aviation has been the Art Williams and Harry Wendt Aeronautical School at Ogle airport complex.
At its recent graduation ceremony, members of the Caribbean Aviation Safety and Security Oversight System (CASSOS) have identified the local Art Williams and Harry Wendt Aeronautical Engineering School (AWHWAES) as the primary institution for aircraft maintenance training in the region.
The disclosure was made by Vice-Chairman of CASSOS and Director of the Jamaican Civil Aviation Authority (JCAA) Lt. Col. Oscar Derby during the recent annual graduation exercises of the school based at the Ogle Regional Municipal Airport, East Coast Demerara. He was the guest speaker on the occasion.
He said the engineering activity which supports the Air Transport Industry is not only important to Guyana and the students in Guyana but to CARICOM and the rest of the world.
He stressed: “This Aeronautical Engineering school is so important that CASSOS has taken a decision to integrate and network the training system within the Region here so that the Caribbean can satisfy the global demand for aviation specialists to the extent that it can.”
“If we are able to satisfy only 1% of that demand for aviation specialists, it is significant business for the Caribbean and a significant advantage to the school and I want you to take careful note of this.”
Lt. Col. Derby noted that the AWHWAES is approved by the Guyana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) and its Airworthiness Inspectors as well as the Jamaican Civil Aviation Authority (JCAA).
It is currently undergoing certification by the Trinidad &Tobago Civil Aviation Authority (T&T CAA) and the Eastern Caribbean Civil Aviation Authority (EC CAA).
In this regard, those who mange and administer the School must be commended for doing such a fine job for such a long period. Yet some of the cynics in our society do not see anything positive happening. But here are non Guyanese professionals heaping praise on this school and even hailing it as the leading aeronautical school in CARICOM.
