GUYANA has been awarded for making significant strides in the implementation of measures to improve the country’s aviation sector.

According to a release from the Guyana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA), the country received the Council President Certificate by the ICAO (International Civil Aviation Organisation) in recognition of the significant progress made in resolving safety oversight deficiencies and the effective implementation of the ICAO’s Standards and Recommended Practices (SARPs) in 2016.

The presentation of the award was made at the ICAO World Aviation Forum 2017, held in Abuja, Nigeria, from November 20 to 22, 2017.

Minister within the Ministry of Public Infrastructure, Annette Ferguson received the award from ICAO’s President, Dr. Olumuyiwa Benard Aliu.

GCAA Director General Lieutenant Colonel (ret’d) Egbert Field and Director for Air Transport Management at the GCAA Saheed Sulaman also attended the forum.

Council President Certificates are issued once each calendar year and recognises countries for significant progress made in resolving their safety oversight deficiencies and improving the Effective Implementation (EI) of ICAO SARPs.

The GCAA said in 2016, after an ICAO Coordinated Validation Mission (ICVM) audit, Guyana moved from 44.24 per cent to 64.66 per cent effective in implementation of ICAO SARPs.

The award signifies that Guyana is closer to implementing ICAO’s SARPs, as well as achieving the United States Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) Category One status.

The attainment of Category One status would mean that air operators from Guyana can once again initiate service to the United States, and take part in reciprocal code-sharing arrangements with U.S. carriers.

The award is also an indication that the GCAA is more equipped to discharge its safety oversight and regulatory mandate for the aviation sector more effectively.
Other countries receiving the Council President Certificate for their achievement in 2016 were Bolivia, Egypt, Honduras, Jamaica, Kazakhstan, Paraguay, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Togo, Uruguay, Vietnam and Zambia.

Meanwhile, according to the GCAA, during the ICAO World Aviation Forum, discussions were held between the Council President of the ICAO, Dr. Olumuyiwa Benard Aliu, and Minister Ferguson and her delegation.

Guyana proposed to host the ICAO Air Transport Conference in the third quarter of 2018. The delegation also proposed to host the Third ICAO African States and Diaspora Meeting to focus on promoting tourism and air linkages between African States and the Diaspora, especially in the Caribbean States.

The conference will also address the challenges in overcoming irregularities or non-availability of air links between the two regions, revise and develop existing Bilateral Air Services Agreement, and explore opportunities for multilateral agreements using ICAO Air Services Negotiation (ICAN) facility, including trade and investment, science and technology, travel and tourism, and transportation infrastructure.