This editorial was written while a scheduled emergency meeting was due to take place yesterday between the Guyana Government and the Trinidad and Tobago-owned

Caribbean Airlines Limited (CAL), on the crisis situation that affects over 20,000 passengers holding reservations with the low-cost carrier, EZjet, whose  operational licence was suddenly suspended.
Ahead of  yesterday’s hastily arranged meeting between top representatives of CAL with President Donald Ramotar and ministerial colleagues, Transport Minister, Robeson Benn had revealed that the Guyana   Civil Aviation Authority’s suspension move against EZjet followed an advisory from the United States Department of Transportation about the airline’s failure to honour financial obligations consistent with permission granted for its chartered operations.  
With recurring problems first experienced by passengers with REDjet, which suddenly collapsed, leaving Guyanese and other CARICOM citizens, as well as corporate entities elsewhere,  to face refund woes,  the emergence of EZjet’s ordered shutdown of operations must come as distressing deja-vu.
Clearly concerned about the welfare of thousands of potentially  stranded travellers, who would have made booking arrangements with EZjet for the coming Christmas holidays in mind, the Guyana Government lost no time in initiating moves with CAL to help in resolving this very challenging, unexpected problem.
CAL has challenges of its own in competing with internationally-owned airlines as it strives, along with intra-regional LIAT, to cope with the expanding demands of travellers. It is also  quite aware that Guyana remains a most rewarding destination for its commercial flights.
It is, therefore, to be hoped that good news would be forthcoming from yesterday’s  emergency meeting with CAL’s leading representatives, as initiated by the Guyana Government.
For his part, Transport Minister Benn chose to be cautious in hoping that the required US$200,000 deposit made by EZjet (as had to be done also by REDjet) would be sufficient to  refund stranded passengers, while all efforts would continue to be made for alternative travel arrangements with those directly involved.