GUYANA may be closer to having a flag carrier sooner than expected since information reaching the Guyana Chronicle is that one local aviation company is poised to service the country’s national flying needs, and is ready to go on the green light of the relevant authorities.It is understood that Air Guyana, a subsidiary of the well-established Wings Aviation Inc, also parent company of the popular Fly Jamaica, is experienced and has the capacity to provide the necessary service to popular international routes such as the United States and Canada.

According to information, Wings Aviation Inc is expected to acquire two new planes in the near future, but is ready to rebrand one of its two Boeings in vibrant Guyanese colours, boldly displaying an Air Guyana emblem and base it here for specific service to the Guyanese people.

The company has recently hired an additional 25 flight attendants and has already designed a green Guyanese oriented overall for its onboard staff. They have the relevant authorisation from countries where they operate abroad and are now gearing toward local documentation to commence operation here.

“All they (authorities) have to do is say the word and they are ready to launch,” an aviation source stated. “Wings Aviation is ready to launch Air Guyana. They already have the staff and the training… they have enough capacity for both Air Guyana and Fly Jamaica.”

The Guyana Chronicle was told that currently, Wings Aviation Inc has 36 Guyanese flight attendants outside of the 25 recently hired. Of that number, there were five Amerindians from Hinterland communities. Training for these attendants has already commenced.

It is stated that once Air Guyana gets the go ahead, it will commence with two weekly non-stop flights to Toronto and several other destinations. This is expected to improve airlift and provide several direct and indirect benefits.

Since Guyana Airways Corporation’s fall some 15 years ago, the Guyanese public has endured about everything seeking reliable service to major destinations in the US and Canada. With the pull out of Delta Airlines some years ago, and limited airlift ability in the recent past, many Guyanese passengers were hounded with overpriced tickets, unscrupulous charter operators and even endured poor service, to the point where the Government had once threatened a foreign-based airline to be better to Guyanese passengers.

Caribbean Airlines, Dynamic Airways and Fly Jamaica, which was launched 2013, have been the notable three servicing Guyanese passengers on the major routes, with Fly Jamaica standing out, being owned by Guyanese. That airline has risen to prominence for onboard service and continued improvement toward time schedules.
Guyana is currently without Category One status and this does not permit operators registered here to fly non-stop to the United States. Guyana Civil Aviation (GCA) Director General, Egbert Field is confident of Guyana attaining the necessary status in the near future. The retired army officer and seasoned aviator has already registered intent to use his many years’ experience to steer the Guyanese aviation sector in the right direction.

He told Guyana Chronicle that Wings Aviation has expressed interest in servicing Guyana, but the agency awaits the company’s official application. When asked about the company’s operation of Fly Jamaica in Guyana and whether he believes they can be trusted to operator under a Guyanese banner, Field said “Fly Jamaica is an organisation that really understands the way an airline is run, and is running it the way it is supposed to.”

Field, a former inspector with Caribbean Aviation Safety and Security Oversight System (CASSOS) and who was flight operations and oversight manager of the Jamaica Civil Aviation Authority and transnational inspector for the Regional Aviation Safety Oversight had been required to give Fly Jamaica its pass to operator during its certification process and remembered how diligently and professionally the company had gone through the motion.

He said had it not been for Guyana’s failure to acquire Category One status, Fly Jamaica itself would have been a Guyanese registered company. He noted however the success and great support the Guyanese-owned company has gained from the Jamaican public. Senior Wings Aviation officials have confirmed the company’s intent to service the Guyanese public through Air Guyana but provided no additional information. The Wings Aviation Inc has been operational since 1984 and is located at the Eugene F Correia Airport in Ogle. It has extensive operations in Canada, the US, Jamaica and Guyana.