Roraima Airways clinches General Sales Agent deal
CURACAO registered airline-Insel Airlines is set to become operational in June of this year with Roraima Airways serving as their general sales agent.

Insel Airlines which was birthed some eight years ago is one of the few aiming to market Guyana’s tourism to the international market through the provision of their services. Commanding thirteen fleets of aircraft, Insel provides flights out of Curacao to the neighbouring island of Aruba. Flights to Miami will also be provided via Aruba. The airline connects the Caribbean and South America and serves many other routes.
Roraima Airways will serve as the Ground Handling Services Agent and General Sales Agent for Insel. Destinations that are included into the scope of travel are Jamaica, St. Maarten, The Dominican Republic and several South American destinations.
The MD-80 aircraft which could accommodate up to 150 passengers will be operated twice weekly on the Guyana route. However, in the case of having more or less passengers, Insel Airways will introduce other aircrafts capable of facilitating the capacity of customers.
One of the distinguishing advantages of flying will be that of the pre-clearance of US Customs and Immigration in Aruba, therefore, entering the United States as a domestic flight. Added to that, the airline offers a frequent flyer loyalty programme known as “Insel star Miles” where members earn points for miles flown with benefits such as priority check in and free baggage allowances. The miles points are also credited towards free tickets.
Chief Executive Officer of Roraima Airways, Gerry Gouveia on Friday at the official signing of the contract between Insel Airlines and Roraima Airways, expressed how overwhelmed he was at such an initiative. He added that the process, which began a year ago through the Civil Aviation Authority, was finalised last month and the intention is to seek to boost tourism in Guyana through the provision of such services. Gouviea explained that that the initiative was one that underwent standard procedures of inspection to ensure facilities were competent enough to facilitate the aircrafts.
While he also acknowledged the avenue that will be opened up through this from Europeans to access Guyana more freely, he was keen to add that the tourism industry is booming with over 4,000 tourists visiting Guyana annually, hence the need for such implementations.
Chief Commercial Officer of InselAir, Jurgen Lippinkhof, in his address yesterday echoed the sentiments of Captain Gouveia adding that Guyana is seen as the Pearl of South America since we are the only English-speaking country in the continent and as such it puts us in an advantageous position of attracting more European tourists.
“Guyana is the only English-speaking country in the Caribbean and most European tourists will feel more comfortable travelling to a country where they understand the language,” he asserted.
Lippinkhof assured that the company was launched against a backdrop of extensive research and as such, they will not follow trends of other chartered airlines who have abandoned their customers overnight. He was keen to add too, that, the airline is one of standard flights and not chartered. As such, he realised that they are subject to international laws and reiterated the company’s commitment to its customers.
He concluded by noting that fares will become more flexible after six months of operations and as such urged Guyanese to support the new airline as they offer beneficial packages to their customers who are sure to be impressed with their standards.
The airline which will begin operating its Guyana route from June 18 with two flights weekly (Wednesday and Saturday evenings) will be offering fares of US$270 from Guyana to Aruba, and US$345 from Guyana to Miami via Aruba. Passengers will be allowed up to 23 kg for suitcases and 10 kg carry-on for free with additional weight being charged at the rate of US$14 per 23 kg.
InselAir will be operated through Roraima Air Services at Duke Lodge.
By Ravin Singh