–says incoming GCAA Director-General Egbert Fields

INCOMING Guyana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) Director-General Colonel (retired) Egbert Fields has said that Guyana attaining international Category One rating is a top priority on his agenda.The comments from Fields, an aviator with some 46 years of experience, comes as an International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) audit of the local aviation sector is expected to start shortly.

According to Fields, a retired army officer and a captain, who flew with the then Guyana Airways, the aim is to achieve international compliance, pointing out that for many years Guyana has not been compliant with ICAO rules and regulations.

“There is still a lot more to do to become compliant with international civil aviation organisations,” he said.
Fields has worked with the Jamaica Civil Aviation Authority and is a transnational inspector with the Caribbean Aviation Safety Oversight System.

And with 18,000 flying hours under his belt, and 30 years of flying, he is deemed the “right man for the job.”

“I know what I can do for this industry, and who knows, we may have a return of Guyana Airways in the future with the attainment of Category One.”

The state-run Guyana Airways Corporation had folded after incurring operational losses in 2000.

Over the years, many inspectors and other GCAA personnel have left Guyana for better offers overseas, and their departure has contributed to a decline in the aviation sector.

ICAO has estimated that Guyana is 40 per cent compliant with requisite international rules and regulations and has been downgraded by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to Category Two status.