–efficient for passengers and cargo

GUYANESE can rest assured that using the Miami International Airport (MIA) is safe and efficient for both passengers and cargo. The assurance was conveyed to Prime Minister Mark Phillips on October 8 when his visiting delegation was given a detailed presentation on the operations of the facility by its top management.

The visit to the international airport was organised by the Guyanese American Chamber of Commerce (GACC), which has identified the airport as a key facility for passengers and cargo bound to and from Guyana, a release said. And the figures support that conclusion, with US$115,383,166 worth of cargo passing through the facility last year, the pandemic notwithstanding.

In his presentation to the visiting delegation, which included Guyana’s Tourism, Industry and Trade Minister Oneidge Walrond, and Housing and Water Minister Collin Croal, Chief of Aviation Marketing, Jim Nares disclosed that Guyana is Number 30 on the list of countries with the most cargo utilising the facility, with 3,384 tonnes recorded for 2020. According to the release, the airport is listed as Number One in the US for handling perishable cargo.

The top five exports, by weight, from Guyana that were processed at MIA last year, according to Nares, were fish, pet/show animals, minerals, raw grains, and cooking oil/fats, while the top exports to Guyana were industrial machinery, telecoms equipment, computers and computer accessories, scientific instruments, and aviation parts.

In terms of dollar value, the top imports into the US from Guyana utilising the airport last year were gold jewellery and gems.

While no data was available for the number of passengers, passenger traffic to and from Guyana is not insignificant among the 49.5 million people who travelled via MIA in 2019, down to 19 million in 2020 due to the pandemic.

In offering the assurance of passenger safety, Nares said MIA was one of the first airports in the US to install state-of-the art 3D CT scanners. There are 53 passenger and 41 cargo airlines operating out of MIA.

BEST SUITED GATEWAY
“MIA is the largest and best suited gateway to the Caribbean and Latin America, and we are embarked on a five billion dollar capital modernisation programme over the next five to 15 years,” Nunes told his audience, which included Guyana’s Honorary Consul in Florida, Ramzan Roshanali, executives of the GACC, and Executive Chairman of Demerara Distilleries Limited (DDL), Komal Samaroo.

In welcoming the Prime Minister and other participants at the briefing, the airport’s Director of Protocol and International Affairs, Desmond Alufohai pointed to the strategic importance of MIA to Guyana, as its economy continues to expand rapidly, and the private sectors in both countries heighten their trade relations.

In his opening remarks, President of the GACC, Wesley Kirton said that the Chamber requested the briefing for the visiting delegation, so that the Guyana government could get an on-the-spot indication of the operations of the airport, which is most critical to Guyana’s trade relationship with the US.

Prime Minister Phillips, in his address to participants pointed to Guyana’s heightened development activities in several sectors, including oil and gas, and emphasised the importance of efficient and cost-effective logistics. He said the timeliness of the delivery of supplies is key to ensuring projects are completed on schedule, and within budget. He also underscored the importance of perishables exported from Guyana being handled in keeping with the requirements, so as to avoid spoilage and financial losses to farmers in Guyana.

The Prime Minister said he was pleased to learn of all the mechanisms in place, such as the joint command systems for emergency response, the facilities required for the proper handling and security of vaccines, especially as Guyana and the rest of CARICOM seek to effectively respond to the COVID-19 pandemic, and the state-of-the-art scanners which would prevent any terrorist activity utilising the aviation sector.

He expressed confidence that with such measures in place, Guyanese passengers and the business community in both countries enjoy a satisfying level of comfort in utilising the airport.

The briefing also heard presentations from Mark Hatfield, Assistant Aviation Director, Public Safety and Security; Captain Patrick Lewis, Miami-Dade Fire Rescue Airport Operations; and Humberto Perez, Miami-Dade Police Department.

The visitors were the honoured guests at a reception hosted by MIA, in the Consular Lounge at the airport.