By Alva Solomon

GOVERNMENT is committed to raising Guyana’s aviation compliance rating very shortly, by at least 20% from the 40% rating it currently holds in the region.This is according to Minister within the Ministry of Public Infrastructure, Annette Ferguson, who made the startling disclosure during her budget debate contribution on Tuesday evening that Guyana, which follows the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) guidelines, has suffered the “indignity” of having the lowest level of effective implementation of the standard and recommended practices of the world oversight body to ensure the safe and orderly development of civil aviation in South America.
“A paltry 44%! The regional average stands above 70%!” Minister Ferguson exclaimed, adding that this ignominy will not be allowed to continue under the APNU/AFC government.
To show how poorly managed the Guyana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) was when the Coalition took office last May, Minister Ferguson said not only was it “grossly understaffed”, but it “resembled “Hollywood”, due to the number of staff that had been ‘acting’ for many years.

PROACTIVE MOVE
But all that is now in the past, she said, as the new government, in a proactive move, has adopted to have a posture, by which it can no longer be ‘business as usual’ at the GCAA.
The work mandate of the Coalition has been two-fold, she said: Fixing the broken, and advancing the economy for a better life for all.
Work, she said, has already commenced on improving the Authority’s oversight capability, as additional staff have been employed in the air transport management department.
And those staff who’ve been ‘acting’ all along, were appointed, in consultation with the Guyana Public Service Union (GPSU), while those who were on “wrong salary scales” were correctly appointed.
“I intend on getting the nation’s business done properly,” Minister Ferguson said, adding that in last November, she had the privilege of attending the ICAO’s world forum, where a draft project document to aid Guyana’s institutional strengthening of the GCAA oversight system was discussed with donor and lending agencies.
Coming out of those discussions, she said, the ICAO has committed CDN$80,000 towards improving GCAA’s safety oversight system.

NEW DEVELOPMENTS
As regards developments here, she said that on November 12 last year, the use of automatic dependence surveillance broadcast (ADSB) began in Guyana’s upper airspace, which is a significant milestone in air traffic management.
In the coming years, the system to monitor air traffic will be commissioned in the middle and lower airspace.
Testimony that the government understands the importance of civil aviation, Minister Ferguson said, is the allocation of $430M to the continued institutional strengthening of the GCAA, whereby two guidance projects have already been identified to upgrade the sector.
One of the two projects at reference is a study on the impact of civil aviation on the economy, which will greatly assist the government, industry stakeholders, and decision-makers to better understand how the air sector contributes to the economy. The study will also assist the administration in determining investment priorities and policy directives, the minister said.
The other is the drafting of a National Aviation Policy aimed at providing guidance on the development of the aviation sector in an orderly and well-coordinated manner.

DISSATISFACTION
Minister Ferguson had earlier in her presentation noted the government’s dissatisfaction with the state of hinterland airstrips when it assumed office last year. As such, the authorities will work on ensuring that those airstrips are upgraded, given the importance of air transport to linkages between the Hinterland and Coastland.
Among the lapses, she said, are “…weak and non-existent security, navigational aids… no air traffic centres, and poor infrastructure and inadequate maintenance.”
Under the 2016 Budget, over $241M has been dedicated to the completion and rehabilitation of airstrips across the country, and according to Minister of Public Infrastructure, David Patterson, a study has been initiated for the development of a comprehensive aerodrome policy and strategy to assess the problems affecting all aerodromes countrywide.