The potential for commercial helicopter services in Guyana is a goldmine of opportunity, says Air Services Limited (ASL) General Manager Annette Arjoon-Martins, who also declared that since ASL commenced operations last year it has only scratched the surface of this but highly demanded service.
In November last year ASL became the first privately-owned company, licensed by the Guyana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA), to offer commercial helicopter services. Though ASL only has one helicopter, Arjoon-Martins said, the last two months of business have been very good and a second helicopter is definitely a possibility.
The only other body licensed to carry out commercial helicopter services is the Guyana Defence Force (GDF), which was granted Cabinet Approval over 50 years ago to carry out such operations. The GDF has come under criticism on several occasions by many who claim that it was illegally offering commercial helicopter services. However, Director General of GCAA, Zulfikar Mohamed, said that the Defence Board has for the last few decades had the authority’s permission to fly commercially if it so desired.
During a sit down with Stabroek News, Arjoon-Martins said that the proliferation of helicopter services in Guyana has, and will continue to revolutionise the air service industry, and provide a wide array of advantages that were unattainable with the use of fixed wing aircraft, the traditional mode of commercial flights.
Arjoon-Martins said that with the expansion of the gold, petroleum and forestry industries, the use of helicopters