…PM sees opportunity for expanded connectivity among regions

THE three-day conference of the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) on air transport opened here on Wednesday with Guyana and the rest of the Caribbean looking to expand linkages with non-traditional markets in the aviation sector.

International aviation is going through a period of “unprecedented change,” said Prime Minister, Moses Nagamootoo; he added that Guyana is poised to take advantage of that change with its new, expanded runway at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport and the new terminal with state- of-the-art facilities.

The conference is being held at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre. “Guyana is in a better position to handle larger aircraft and process more passengers,” said the prime minister (PM) during his address to the participants. The PM noted that the air transport meeting will take the country one step closer to that possibility, as stakeholders commence discussions under the theme, “Promoting Connectivity for Sustainable Air Transport Development.”

Prime Minister Nagamootoo said stakeholders from the ICAO, CARICOM and the African Union are meeting at a time when Guyana’s aviation industry has strengthened itself with a revised civil aviation law; this was approved by the National Assembly on Monday last.
The revision of the old law over the past two years has brought the law fully in line with the Chicago Convention, and has enhanced safety and security provisions.

“Our aviation sector is moving in the right direction and is growing. In 2017, Guyana recorded its highest international passenger movement in the history of the aviation sector – in excess of 650,000 passengers,” said Nagamootoo; he added that Guyana’s compliance with ICAO standards and recommended practices are up, increasing from 44 per cent to 64 per cent, with a projection to reach at least 80 per cent by December 31, this year.
He believes that Guyana is becoming an attractive market for airlines, especially since the nation will start to produce oil in 2020. Testimony to this was the newest addition to air services in Guyana, American Airlines. The country appears to be making its mark as a preferred business and tourist destination, as connectivity has increased the number of destinations being served out of Guyana. Guyana remains connected to major hub networks of the world such as Panama, JFK, Miami, Toronto, Port of Spain and Barbados.
“While Guyana is pleased to display its achievement within the aviation sector, this ICAO Air Transport Meeting is not mainly about Guyana, but about promoting connectivity among and within the different regions of the world,” said Prime Minister Nagamootoo.

Additionally, he posited that here in the Caribbean Region, air transport is a critical factor for the viability and sustainability of the tourism product which the Caribbean sells.
The Caribbean Region is always looking at new ways to promote connectivity. This is because of the spread of the different states across the Region and the small size of many of the islands in the Region. In July 2018, the Heads of Government of the various CARICOM member states approved for signature a liberal, multilateral air services agreement. This allows for free movement of airlines within the CARICOM Region to operate unimpeded in any member state.

In keeping with the agreement, government is aiming to promote connectivity because that is the initiative which is necessary to facilitate the movement of people, goods and services. According to the prime minister, the removal of traditional restrictions on ownership configurations of airlines and the liberalisation of cargo markets using open skies air services agreements with provision for seventh freedom traffic rights for cargo movement, are needed to improve connectivity and access.

FINANCIAL FRAMEWORK

President of the Council of the ICAO Dr. Olumuyiwa Benard Aliu was hopeful that there would be similar decisions coming out of the meeting.

“We hope to have far-reaching decisions like the establishment of an aviation development financial framework for the African and Caribbean regions” said Aliu. He added that the framework will be structured to “meaningfully” integrate planning between the African Union and the Caribbean. Stakeholders including Aliu agreed that states must not only improve compliance, but also foster an operating environment under which the aviation industry can enjoy sustainability.

Aviation is a crucial driver of economic, social and cultural development. The industry supports more than 62.7 million jobs globally and generates US$2.7 trillion in economic activity. According to the ICAO, 37 million aircraft carried 4.1 billion passengers and 56 million tonnes of cargo in 2017. These figures are expected to double in the next 15 years.
“It is therefore important for countries to create policies which accommodate modernisation, harmonisation and promote connectivity, security, competition and transparency,” said Aliu.

Director-General of GCAA Egbert Field also agreed that it is imperative for the Caribbean Region to remove itself from the rigid regulatory impediments that hinder development as a Region and foster ideas towards harmonising regulations.

The ICAO meeting is expected to address most of those concerns, since the objective of the meeting is to create solutions to remove impediments to air-transport liberalisation and to finance the development of quality aviation infrastructure. Representative of the Inter –American Development Bank (IDB) to Guyana Sophie Makonnen was in support of objectives of the ICAO; this is because she believes that aviation policies are restrictive in certain countries, while some have not been able to keep up with infrastructural changes. She said the IDB has invested US$175 million in aviation throughout the Caribbean where modernisation of the aviation sector is essential for growth.