Guyana in serious discussions to reinstitute national airline
THE time has come for Guyana to seriously consider reinstituting a national flag carrier to facilitate more flights in and out of this country and provide a better quality of service to Guyanese travellers.
This declaration was made by Minister of Tourism, Industry and Commerce, Mr. Manniram Prashad, last week, during an interview in his South Road, Georgetown office, where he was responding to the Caribbean Airlines (CAL) episode.
Prashad deprecated the airline’s conduct and said: “The Caribbean Airlines issue is an ongoing one. Maybe the time has come when we need to get Guyana Airways back on track, because it seems as if Guyanese will be taken for a ride by Caribbean Airlines all the time.”
As to progress made in this regard, Prashad explained that discussions are underway with private individuals who have expressed interest in investing in the venture.
According to him, “Discussions are ongoing because the airline business is not any easy business. We have had discussions with Jet Blue and American Airlines and, after several meetings with Jet Blue officials, all the information requested was submitted and we are awaiting a decision.”
In addition the Tourism Minister informed that several other airlines have also been engaged, including Suriname Airways and KLM (Royal Dutch Airlines).
About the need for the increase in airlift, he said: “We are speaking to other airlines to get more into Guyana, more persons want to come back home.”
According to Minister Prashad, as the problems with Caribbean Airlines intensify, efforts to reintroduce a national airline will need to be “fast tracked”.
Meanwhile, President Bharrat Jagdeo, at a press conference last Friday, confirmed that plans for a Guyana-based airline, which could be the national flag carrier, have advanced.
The Head of State acknowledged that getting a national airline is very important, as the country has experienced an “explosion“ of people coming home and travelling to Guyana.
He also announced that Guyana is looking to buy aviation fuel from Venezuela, to allow the proposed national flag carrier airline to compete with others in the Caribbean and North America.
President Jagdeo said sourcing aviation fuel from Venezuela can help make Guyana a more attractive place for a home-based airline that will be critical for the future development of the tourism industry.