DOMESTIC airline Roraima Airways unveiled its third Britten Norman Trislander aircraft on Friday to boost its aviation capacity. This aircraft will seat 18 persons, including its crew.

Roraima’s principal, Captain Gerald “Gerry” Gouveia, told a gathering, which in included Junior Minister of Public Infrastructure Annette Ferguson, at the company’s hangar at Ogle that safety has been and will always be a number one priority for the company.

He said the aircraft along with others are equipped with systems that can monitor its location in real time.

“From the time these aircraft start the engines, take off and land, the director-general and his team at air traffic control services and our own team know exactly where they are,” Gouveia said.

He said the Trislander aircraft is one of several which brought down the price of air transportation in Guyana. He said with the insertion of another Trislander into the local tourism industry, the cost to travel to the famous Kaieteur Falls has dropped.

He said customers have expressed a great degree of satisfaction in the level of safety they feel when they travel in the Trislander, simply because they are powered by three engines.

“These airplanes will have sustained flight. If you ever unfortunately have any kind of engine trouble, these airplanes have been very safe and because of increased speed and capacity, more people and even mining equipment can be fetched, medevacs done and cross-border flights accomplished with ease,” he explained.

Director-General of the Guyana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA), Colonel (Ret’d) Egbert Field in his remarks said the aircraft was put together in Guyana after being sourced by local engineers which is testimony to the development in the aviation sector.

He said that the GCAA is taking steps to amend its regulation to ensure airlines and operators can apply for a local operating certificate, which gives local pilots and engineers more opportunities to function.

The proposed legislation contains a revision of aviation regulations, which will include: safety management systems; regulations pertaining to drone operations; and revised operating regulations for the industry.

In addition to revising its regulations, the GCAA also conducted a compliance and enforcement training programme in February, which is expected to play an integral role in aiding the Authority to respond positively to those items requested by the ICAO and bring GCAA closer towards compliance.

Field said that the aviation sector is expanding and Guyana must rise to all challenges, where only high standards will be accepted.

In her brief remarks, Minister Ferguson told the gathering that the investment in another Trislander will only boost the aviation sector, since the administration is working to improve the industry.

The minister noted that Guyana is currently around 70 percent in compliance and has been taking corrective action to move towards 80 percent before the end of the year.