–acting GCAA head says striving to meet standards
Acting Director-General of the Guyana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) Paula McAdam said yesterday that the body was striving to meet and maintain standards and that Guyana’s category 2 International Aviation Safety Assessment (IASA) classification did not in any way inconvenience the travelling public.
McAdam made the assertion at a press briefing held yesterday at the Wight’s Lane office of Transport Minister Robeson Benn, in response to an article published in this newspaper on Tuesday which stated that Guyana has been rated in Category 2 of the IASA issued last December, meaning this country does not comply with International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) standards. She said that a 2007 audit conducted by ICAO showed that considerable improvements have been made in the GCAA’s operations.
McAdam stated that the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) carried out a safety assessment of Guyana‘s aviation sector in March 2002 under the IASA programme and among the findings which were highlighted following that assessment were:
-the GCAA needs to develop and implement technical regulations for flight operations and airworthiness oversight in keeping with ICAO standards;
-the GCAA needs to develop and use Inspector Guidance Material in keeping with the regulations;
-airman licensing and air operator certification needed to be developed and implemented in accordance with ICAO standards; and
-initial and refresher training must be continuous.
McAdam said that in August 2002, the authority was informed that it had been reclassified as Category 2. She said the FAA provided funding to several ICAO member states, collaboratively with the Regional Aviation Safety Oversight System (RASOS) programme, including Suriname and Trinidad and Tobago. However, although the FAA was aware that Guyana needed this assistance it was not included.
She said the GCAA continued to work to achieve and maintain standards set by ICAO and an audit which was conducted in February 2007showed that considerable improvements were made in the areas of legislation and regulations, licensing and certification among other issues.
At the moment, she said, as indicated by the ICAO audit, Guyana is equal to the international stage and the GCAA is continuing to strive to meet and maintain the standards of the increasing technological advances in international civil aviation as the organisation works towards achieving Category 1 classification. She said the travelling public is in no way inconvenienced by Guyana’s category 2 classification.
She also stated that the authority is currently reviewing the Aviation Act and subsidiary regulations. In addition, phase 1 of its CNS/ATM Modernization Project which, she said, will contribute considerably towards improvement of air navigation services in Guyana, has been approved and will be implemented shortly.
Benn admitted that there are issues within the aviation sector which needed to be resolved. He stated that the administration plans to expend some $30 million on upgrading the Ogle Municipal Airport, while some $330 million will be spent upgrading the tarmac and runways at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA), Timehri.
As regards training he said that recently recruited ATC trainees are undergoing training and if successful, they will complement the GCAA existing roster.
With regard to persons living on land located within the periphery of the airport boundary, Benn said steps will be taken to amicably resolve such issues.
This newspaper stated in Tuesday’s article that for countries rated Category 2, it meant that the FAA “has assessed this country’s civil aviation authority and determined that it does not provide safety oversight for its air carrier operators in accordance with the minimum safety standards established by ICAO”.
The article also noted that there had been calls from air traffic controllers as well as aircraft operators for upgrading of the current air traffic control system. Earlier this year air traffic controllers took industrial action and among the issues they highlighted then were the inadequate and obsolete equipment which they had to work with.
Benn said he was disappointed with the article as well as the editorial of that day’s issue of this newspaper. He questioned why regional and international airlines would come to this country if the air traffic services system was not efficient.
Tuesday’s editorial made mention of several recent aircraft incidents including a near-miss involving a LIAT airlines flight which was proceeding to the CJIA airport and a departing Learjet. The editorial also made mention of another incident, which occurred the day prior to the near-miss, in which a Britten-Norman Islander aircraft belonging to Air Services Limited made an emergency landing at Baganara Island, after suffering an engine failure. The aircraft was at the time ferrying Caricom delegates who had gone on a trip to Kaieteur Falls. Benn had confirmed that the near-miss did occur and stated that an investigation was launched to ascertain the cause of the incident.
There had been several such incidents in the past including one involving a Caribbean Airlines flight which had President Bharrat Jagdeo on board. To date nothing has been made public as regards the findings of the investigations and what actions may have been recommended.
Meanwhile, as regards the piece of wreckage which was found at Hope Beach last week by a fisherman, McAdam stated that the material is still to be identified. She said the French and Brazilian authorities have been in touch with the GCAA on the matter, noting that two officials from Brazil were in Guyana to analyze the material. The material has not been classified as being a part of an aircraft or a rocket, given that the Ariane Space Agency in French Guiana conducts launches of rockets.
