GUYANA will tomorrow become the centre of high-level global discussions on aviation safety and regional cooperation, as representatives from almost 60 countries converge here for the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) and European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) Third Global Regional Safety Oversight Organisations and Regional Accident and Incident Investigation Organisations Forum for Aviation Safety.
President Dr Mohamed Irfaan Ali is expected to deliver the keynote address when the forum opens on Tuesday at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre. It will run from September 29 to 30 under the theme, “Optimizing Resources through Coordination and Cooperation.”
The gathering, jointly organised by ICAO and EASA and hosted by the Guyana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA), will bring together civil aviation regulators, accident investigators, representatives of member states and regional oversight organisations, technical experts, international organisations and major aviation industry players.
Discussions will examine how countries can pool expertise and resources to strengthen safety oversight and accident and incident investigations, particularly in jurisdictions where financial, technical and human-resource constraints can make it difficult for individual states to maintain all of the specialised capabilities required.
Among the areas on the agenda are the benefits of regional cooperation, sustainable legal and funding models for oversight organisations, the delegation of safety and investigative functions, aviation workforce development, industry partnerships and the harmonisation of regulatory frameworks and tools.
The forum is also expected to provide Guyana with an opportunity to deepen its engagement with international regulators and aviation organisations at a time when its own aviation market is undergoing rapid change.
Minister of Public Utilities and Aviation Deodat Indar recently pointed to the scale of that growth during the CAPA Airline Leader Summit Latin America and Caribbean.
According to Indar, Guyana was served by four airlines in 2020 — Copa Airlines, American Airlines, Surinam Airways and Caribbean Airlines — compared with 16 airlines today.
“That is a phenomenal growth,” the minister told the international aviation gathering.
He also said passenger traffic had grown by approximately 400 per cent using 2020 as the baseline, although 2020 was also the year global aviation was heavily disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
More recent figures nevertheless show continued growth in demand. Guyana recorded 226,465 visitor arrivals during the first six months of 2026, the highest half-year total recorded, representing a 12 per cent increase over the corresponding period in 2025, according to the Government’s 2026 Mid-Year Report.
Airlift capacity also expanded during that period, including the introduction of daily flights between Guyana and Toronto, while two new cargo carriers entered the market.
The country’s expanding aviation network has also been accompanied by growing pressure on existing airport infrastructure.
Indar has previously disclosed that the air traffic control tower at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA) is to be relocated to allow for further expansion of the aircraft apron. He explained that growth in aircraft movements has resulted in occasions where incoming aircraft have had to wait for parking positions to become available.
During his recent CAPA appearance, the minister also referenced the planned expansion of CJIA, including a new terminal, as part of Guyana’s efforts to increase capacity and support further airline and passenger growth.
That growth has also prompted the government to actively pursue additional air services. At the CAPA summit, Indar publicly encouraged airlines, including LATAM Airlines and Arajet, to examine opportunities in the Guyana market as the government seeks greater connectivity with Latin America, the Caribbean and other international destinations.
He also raised the longer-term possibility of improving connectivity between South America and Africa, arguing that changing travel patterns and Guyana’s geographical position could create opportunities for new connections instead of passengers relying almost exclusively on traditional routings through North America and Europe.
No direct Guyana-Africa service has been announced.
Against that wider expansion, Tuesday’s forum will turn the attention specifically to ensuring that growth in traffic and connectivity is accompanied by stronger safety systems, regulatory oversight and accident-investigation capacity.
At the launch of the event earlier this year, Indar said the issues being addressed extend beyond regulators and technical specialists and have implications for ordinary passengers, including safety, efficiency and the affordability of air travel.
Day One will begin with registration from 08:00 hours, followed by the opening ceremony and keynote address. Subsequent sessions will examine the benefits of regional cooperation, developments within Regional Safety Oversight Organisations and Regional Accident and Incident Investigation Organisations, and mechanisms through which states can delegate specialised functions while maintaining their international obligations.
The second day will focus on attracting and retaining an aviation workforce, sustainable financing, partnerships between regulators and the aviation industry and developing common or harmonised regulatory frameworks.
Representatives from ICAO, EASA, civil aviation authorities and regional organisations from Africa, Europe, the Caribbean, the Pacific, the Middle East and the Americas are listed among the speakers, along with industry representatives from Airbus, American Airlines and LIAT Air.
