AS expansion works to the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA) near completion, the travelling public has praised the opening of the new arrivals terminal which became fully operational on Saturday.

According to the Department of Public Information (DPI), passengers on the incoming flights this morning were warmly greeted by the sweet sound of steel pan music and a taste of Guyana’s rich culture.

Doreen Jonas, an overseas-based Guyanese returning home for vacation was visibly at a loss for words as she expressed her excitement with the new facility. Jonas stated that she is “so impressed” noting that the country has “stepped up.”

Returning from Shanghai, China and South Korea, businessman Hemraj Kissoon remarked that the new facilities remind him of “one of the developed countries” noting the facility is “beautiful and Guyana is going somewhere.”

Dr. Yanick Vibert, who is in Guyana as part of the Bridges Global Missions programme, disclosed that this is her third time here. She told the DPI that the new infrastructural developments “show that Guyana isn’t limited by the label of developing country,” noting that upon arrival at CJIA, it is clear that “there is a richness in the country.”
CJIA Chief Executive Officer, Ramesh Ghir, deemed the official opening “a major milestone in the airport’s infrastructural developments.”

He said that the airport will now “process all arriving passengers through this new terminal.” Ghir made it a point to note that “departing passengers will also be using the boarding bridges.”

“So, in essence, from our operational point of view, we’ll be using the newer part of the terminal for both arrival and departures,” the CEO explained.

He told the DPI that works in the departure terminal as well as on the runway are still ongoing; noting that only half of the departure terminal is operational. The works are on schedule and are expected to be completed by the end of this year.