By Elvin Croker
INTERCARIBBEAN Airlines touched down on the runway of the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA) on Friday, making it the newest airline to join the industry in Guyana.

The inaugural flight from Barbados arrived around 15:00hrs with 48 passengers aboard, signalling the start of new flight options between Barbados and Guyana.

Among the first to exit the airline was Minister of Tourism and International Transport of Barbados, Lisa Cummings, who received a warm welcome from CJIA Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Ramesh Ghir; CEO of InterCaribbean Airlines, Trevor Saddler; Minister of Tourism, Industry and Commerce, Oneidge Walrond and Minister of Public Works, Bishop Juan Edghill.

“Serve Guyana well,” Minister Edghill said as he welcomed the new airline to Guyana. He noted that Guyana needs greater connectivity but also emphasised the importance of quality service to Guyanese. The airline will provide several options and convenient flight times in and out of Guyana.

Saddler, the airline’s CEO, recalled that the move to Guyana began with a conversation some five years ago and in keeping with the local-content commitment, the airline had on its first flight a Guyanese flight attendant.
Minister Cummings noted that InterCaribbean Airlines allows for the sharing of more opportunities between Guyana and Barbados through tourism.

The ministers exchanged gifts before joining in distributing tokens to the arriving passengers.
Roraima Airways Director, Captain Gerald Gouveia Jr, in his opening remarks welcomed the airline to Guyana. Roraima Airways is the handling agent of InterCaribbean Airlines.

InterCaribbean airlines was established in 1992 and is based in the Turks and Caicos, with a network of 37 cities across the Caribbean. Flights from Guyana will be able to connect to 13 of those cities through one, two or three stops, the Department of Public Information (DPI) reported.