Dear Editor
CITING the diatribe directed at Aurora Gold Mines in the May 23, 2018 Kaieteur News titled, “Aurora Gold Mine aborts locals; hires Canadian airline to fly domestic trips,” we would like to debunk all the false claims made against AGM with this what can only be summed up to a logorrhoea filled and malicious attack for some individual’s political machinations.

Aurora Gold Mines has never abandoned the Guyanese people, whether it is through its daily operation or in its flight operations department. Instead, it strives to empower the local population with the skills that will enable them to fill the technical jobs within the developing resources sector. This article will highlight with traceable facts the massive transfer of skills and empowerment of Guyanese because of AGM’s flight operations.

Firstly, AGM did not hire a Canadian airline to provide service to its mine. AGM bought a Twin Otter DHC6-300 aircraft and, as the owners of [the] said craft, contracted a Canadian management firm which has current international experience managing Twin Otters for several years. The word current is applicable as [it] highlights that this company has personnel who have recent experience flying, maintaining and managing this aircraft type. Please take note that the entry of this aircraft was made at the time when there was a myriad of aircraft accidents and incidents involving various local operators. As such, this decision was induced by the concern for the safety of our approximately 800 plus local and 30 expatriate workers.

Here are the facts by the numbers.
Internal Local Contributions
The flight operations team for this aircraft is made up of 14 persons in total with 6 being Canadian and the remaining 8 Guyanese. The Canadians represent 42% of the total team. Our flight team consists of 4 Canadian pilots and 3 Guyanese Pilots. The Guyanese pilots include defence force officers and aviation veterans. We have facilitated the acquisition of visas, licensing conversion documents and training to equip our local flight crew contingent with the necessary credentials to take command of our aviation asset.

Our aircraft engineering team consists of two (2) Canadian mechanics on rotation with one local mechanic who is currently in the final stages of his license conversion to better equip him to take on a leadership role within the aircraft maintenance department at AGM. The aircraft maintenance department has also engaged the local aviation engineering school (The Art William’s & Harry Wendt Aeronautical Engineering School) employing the services of several of its students to work along with our aircraft mechanics on weekends, which adds to their technical experience as budding young Guyanese engineers. Our Georgetown flight operations team is comprised of a young Guyanese pilot and another AGM employee. AGM sought out persons within its own organisation and externally who had the necessary aptitude, then trained them to execute their daily flight operations.

In doing so, skills that are transferrable across the aviation sector globally were imparted, giving these young people the opportunity to have professional careers, years beyond the lifespan of AGM across the globe. In addition to this, other AGM Guyanese personnel were trained as operations officers at the mine site to assist in times of employee turnaround. These mine workers who had no prior understanding of aviation, have benefited from transference of technical skills in aircraft ramp handling, aircraft security awareness, safety management systems and general flight operations. They now have genuine aspirations to become aviation professionals. How is it that AGM is being slandered of abandoning Guyanese?

Regards
AGM employee