TALKS are underway to secure funding for the rehabilitation of the airstrip in Linden, Region 10, according to the head of the region’s tourism committee, Devin Sears.
Sears, in a recent interview with the Guyana Chronicle, said the committee has been engaging the Guyana Office for Investment (Go-Invest), and other key stakeholders to secure funding for the project.

He revealed that the airstrip was first built in the 1950s and was mostly used by privately-owned mining companies.
“The airstrip is more than a half mile long and it is fully asphalt. It was privately-owned by the bauxite company initially during the 50s and they use to use that to bring in worker’s salary and transport goods,” Sears explained.

“…But the surrounding area and the infrastructure that was there is totally gone,” he added.
According to Sears, the Regional Democratic Council (RDC) had undertaken the cleaning and maintenance of the airstrip. However, heavy infrastructural repairs are needed to restore it.

“The RDC [Regional Democratic Council] carried out several projects with clearing the area, but you know there was poor maintenance, so right now it is in a terrible state. What we are pushing for right now is [to] try to rehabilitate the entire airstrip, put back infrastructure,” he said.

Additionally, Sears noted that an additional access road is also needed to get to the airstrip.
Currently to access the airstrip, a road constructed by the Bosai Mining company is being used. The mining company also contributes to the clearing and maintenance of the airstrip.

“Another access road is needed. The only way to get there is through BOSAI’s private road. If that is done, the road will have to come from Coomacka Mines,” he said.
He noted that some efforts were made by the Linden Town Council to acquire funding for the airstrip, however, those efforts were futile.

Sears told this publication that if funding is secured and once the work has been completed, the project will have the capacity to expand tourism in the region as it could welcome regional and international flights as well as cargo, which will open doors for the extensive trading of goods.

The airstrip is intermittently used to facilitate the ‘Fly over Linden’ tours.
The Linden airstrip is 5,000 feet long with a clearance of 300 feet and lies in the heart of the bauxite mining area. With Linden being strategically located, this transportation port can be used by the hundreds of miners, entrepreneurs and persons residing and working in interior locations, who pass through Linden by road daily.

Back in 2018, some upgrades were done. These included fencing, installation of a hangar, adequate lighting, waiting area, toilet facilities, security, and a taxi service. There was also a recommendation for the construction of a nearby hotel for passengers.