…GCAA head says demands of industry multiplying

GUYANA’S aviation sector is rapidly expanding and, as the country heads full speed into first oil, there is a growing demand for youths to be part of the local and international industry.

In a recent interview with the Guyana Chronicle, Director-General of the Guyana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) Lieutenant-Colonel (ret’d) Egbert Field said that the demand for aviation personnel in Guyana is multiplying faster than the indication of interest by young people.

Though not yet a massive challenge, Field is confident that given the necessary support and finances, more Guyanese can become involved in the sector in coming years. “Aviation is taking off at a fast, fast pace in Guyana. A survey shows that we don’t have enough individuals interested, at the moment, in aviation,” Field said.

“In the next 10-15 years, the International Civil Aviation Organisation has reported, air travel will double and we do not have enough aviation schools at the moment to train potential aviators. We don’t have enough people— there will be a need for over 500,000 to 600,000 people worldwide for engineering and also for pilots. So there’s going to be a great need and we’ve got to get individuals interested…especially in Guyana where the aviation industry over the past two to two and a half years has taken off like a jet plane,” Field said.
Pointing to the first ever ICAO conference held in Guyana back in November 2018, the Director-General referred to the words of ICAO President Dr. Olumuyiwa Benard Aliu who identified Guyana as a regional leader in aviation.

The event, attended by some 600 participants from around the world, resulted in the signing of bilateral air service agreements between Guyana and Aruba as well as Ghana for future air transport collaboration.

Regarding the latter, Guyana’s advantageous proximity was highlighted through several discussions as possible gateway for the continent of Africa into the Caribbean and South America.

Several countries in Africa and the Caribbean agreed that linkages between the two Regions are necessary for the preservation of the African culture and the development of shared economic benefits.

At the same event, there was much talk for similar agreements to be signed with Tanzania and Nigeria; Minister of Public Infrastructure David Patterson is mulling a Guyana-Texas air link; an air services agreement has been signed with Singapore and American Airlines is now operating in Guyana.

Field highlighted: “[Dr. Aliu] acknowledged [at ICAO] the fact that Guyana was ranking higher than some of the other states in the Caribbean and asked us to help to support some of those states also. So, we are not on a plateau, we’re on a climb.”
Field then placed his focus on Guyana’s future in the oil and gas industry noting that investor interest in the country is also causing the aviation sector to expand. “We’re experiencing a lot of interest in the offshore area whereby Bristow is bringing in some new helicopters [and] we’re speaking with at least two operators out of Trinidad who want to bring in helicopters. So the offshore industry with helicopters, that is expanding and is going to burst,” Field added.

Touching, too, on pending expansions in Guyana’s domestic industry, he pinpointed the US$4M Lethem Airport earmarked as a major transport hub for the hinterland region which is to bear similarity to the Eugene Correia International Airport.

Being well aware of the rate at which Guyana is developing even before first oil, has led the Director-General to develop a “Next Generation team” to “hunt” out the next generation of aviators.

The team, though not yet exposed to the media, is being headed by Head of the Aerodromes/ Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) Christine Marcus.

It involves a group of young people who are working to get others like themselves interested in the field by speaking the ‘language of youths’.
“ [Marcus’] task is to get youths interested in aviation; to devise ways and means of how youths can come into the profession and how they can access funding,” Field explained.
On the topic of funding he stated that scholarships for aviation continue to be a major factor for parents who want to facilitate their child’s studies but lack the financial means to do so.

As such, as time progresses, the GCAA will be seeking out scholarships for Guyanese interested in the field. “Parents often come to me knowing aviation is an expensive item –to learn to fly is expensive, to become an engineer is expensive. God was good to me. I received a Government scholarship in 1970 and that took me out from poverty to where I am now. [So when parents] come to me I can relate to them because that is what my parents were like when I was young: wanting to find out ‘how can I get my son to study and to get him into aviation’.”

“So, we will be looking at scholarships shortly as soon as finance begins to flow. We will be looking at ways and means of how we can develop scholarships so that the average individual can apply,” Field said.

Leaving words of advice to parents in the particular situation, the Director-General encouraged them to invest in their child’s education which can turn out to be a tremendous benefit both for the child and the family.

He encouraged: “The same way you invest in buying a house—you go and get a mortgage and then you make monthly down payments— invest in your child’s education in aviation. You may have to borrow and start paying back for the school or flying fees but I guarantee you that that child will be able to stand on his or her own two feet in a few years and you will be happy that you did invest in your child.”