OGLE Airport Inc. (OAI), in firing back at the founders of the National Air Transport Association (NATA), is contending that NATA has presented the nation with a highly distorted, misleading, and patently unfair description of the operations of the Ogle International Airport.Air Services Limited (ASL) General Manager, Annette Arjoon-Martins, and Chief Executive Officer of Roraima Airways Inc., Captain Gerry Gouveia, announced on Wednesday the formation of NATA, contending that it was birthed out of a “draconian” document which was presented to the OAI Board of Directors for implementation of rigid rules, which include the possible seizure of aircraft if operators default on their payments.

OAI Board Chairman Michael Correia, in expressing his disappointment at the NATA action, told the press on Friday that Captain Gouveia, though not authorised to speak on the matter, given that he is not a member of the board, is stirring trouble by alluding to a leaked document — the Airport Operators Agreement, which has been represented to the board for approval.

In alluding to the Minutes of the Board meeting which was held on October 9 last, Correia said the proposed agreement was drafted by Attorney-at-Law Melinda Janki, in consultation with management of the airport and major aircraft operators, after receiving legal advice that it is critical to safeguard the operations of the airport through a legally binding agreement between management and operators.

“Approximately a year ago, Captain Malcolm Chan-A-Sue, whose aviation credentials are without question, as Aviation and Safety Consultant to the airport and director/shareholder of OAI, was tasked with drafting an Operators’ Agreement with the legal assistance of Ms. Melinda Janki, a highly respected civil lawyer. The draft was modelled on the international practice obtaining in a privately owned and operated airport.

“In fact, the agreement was modelled on the Standard Terms and Conditions for Operations at the London City Airport,” Correia explained.

It was further pointed out that the provisions outlined in the London Airport Agreement with regard to the payment of fees and the airport’s lien on operators, aircraft and equipment are virtually identical to those proposed for the Ogle International Airport. The same applies for payment of fees, liability of operators, and liability of the airport.

“We have heard one operator suggest that Ogle Airport, which is both an international and domestic-regulated airport, cannot be compared with a ‘First World airport.’ That, of course, is nonsense. Ogle Airport Inc. was established precisely because the airport did not comply with International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) standards, and would have otherwise been shut down had it not been privatised,” the OAI Board Chairman posited.

However, he said that even if the board approves a revised document, management of the airport would still have to seek approval of the Guyana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) before anything could be implemented.

In support of the proposed agreement, OAI Chief Executive Officer, Anthony Mekdeci, told reporters that there have been several instances in which aircraft operators have failed to pay their fees, resulting in the airport operating at a loss.

“The airport is trying to find a mechanism so that it can collect its revenues….We are only making recommendations based on the liability of the airport. If I don’t do that, shareholders will start asking me ‘why are you not collecting the money?’ Because I have no way of enforcing the collection, because I am billing people after the fact,” the CEO lamented.

It was emphasised that the provisions being made in the proposed agreement are in keeping with international standards, and have not been pulled out of thin air. “Aviation is the most regulated industry on the planet, after nuclear, and this is because it is a cross-border activity, because airlines can travel from country to country, and the business is not a business centred in any one country. So all countries in which aircraft travel would have to buy into the rules and regulations…so Guyana is not isolated…. We are a part of that International Civil Aviation Community,” he added.