OVER 60,000 passengers have entered Guyana through the country’s main port of entry, the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA), since the local airports were reopened on October 5, 2020.
This was according to Minister of Public Works Juan Edghill, at the commissioning of new screening equipment at the CJIA, last Saturday.
Guyana’s main ports of entry were closed for seven months, from March 18, 2020, to October 05, 2020, during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. The ports were closed as part of an effort to reduce the spread of the disease.
The airports were initially scheduled to close for a two-week period; however, as cases in the country significantly increased, the closure continued to be extended. But the new government, after an analysis of the situation, thought it best to reopen the airports under strict conditions aimed at reducing the possibility of Guyana recording imported cases of COVID-19.

According to available information, there have been 35 imported cases from the 60,000 arrivals at CJIA, since reopening of the airport.
With the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic, global passenger travel by air had shrunk to between 59 and 62 per cent since 2019.
Minister Edghill said that the closure of airports has adversely affected aviation operations; this is reflected by the estimated loss of close to $104 billion in global business revenue, last year. Nearly 12,000 Guyanese jobs are supported by the aviation industry, the majority in either transportation or tourism. This accounts for nearly one in 20 jobs in Guyana. Air passengers contribute roughly $1.7 billion in travel tax revenue.
Even with the proliferation of COVID-19, the government, through a controlled and informed approach, continues to advance efforts to make Guyana a hub that links the Caribbean and other countries with South America.

Minister Edghill said that the government is working to ensure a smoother and more efficient service for all passengers entering the country, whether they are seeking business and investment opportunities, or just travelling here to experience Guyana’s unique eco-tourism.
“Because of the expansion and the modernisation that we are doing in Guyana, our study and our intent for CJIA was to be a hub that links the Caribbean with south America. We are being proactive here at the CJIA by putting in modern facilities to ensure that our travelling passengers experience comfort, and adequate security screening, while we’re protecting aviation security,” Edghill said. To this end, the government, as part of plans to make Guyana a more accessible tourism destination, granted approval for several new airlines to operate within the country. Those are Caribbean Airlines carrier, InterCaribbean Airways, Fly All Ways and JetBlue.
The modernisation of CJIA has played a pivotal role in ensuring that there is increased air travel to Guyana. This is being facilitated through the ongoing expansion project.

Already, the boarding corridor has been expanded to accommodate two more passenger boarding bridges, taking the total number of bridges to six.
According to Edghill, this move is in keeping with the government’s commitment to the modernisation and transformation of Guyana.
He said that the change in the physical infrastructure of CJIA must be complemented by the technology to support innovative advancement.
Further, he said that the government understands the need for linkage between modern infrastructure and economic growth, and is working strategically to ensure that infrastructure, especially at the country’s main port of entry, is modernised. “If we are going to be able to have that, we have to have the capacity to move passengers along quicker and safer, and once you’re enlarging and expanding, you have to ensure that you take care of possible risks.

“We as a government, while we’re a peace-loving developing country, we don’t take anything for granted, so in our modernisation layout, while we’re inviting the world of investors, attracting foreign direct investment, bringing in the international companies, we are thinking about ensuring our own safety precautions are being taken,” the Public Works Minister said. He further said that since the reopening of the airports, the country has seen a steady increase in foreign investors visiting Guyana, using corporate jets and commercial airlines, all with the aim of exploring investment opportunities. The country has since taken strategic steps to improve the security systems at the CJIA. Among the recent steps is the procurement of four new pieces of screening equipment costing $400 million.
The new scanners are intended to help detect threats to civil aviation quickly and aid law enforcement in its fight against narco-trafficking at Guyana’s main port of entry. The new machines have automatic detection capabilities and will allow the screener to manipulate and further examine anomalies detected in passenger luggage.
Further, aligning with government’s mission to boost security at the country’s main port of entry, management of the CJIA is in the process of procuring body cameras for its security staff.