Fly Jamaica is presently working with Guyana’s authorities to ready itself for flights here even as the start-up airline has commenced its Kingston, Jamaica to New York route and is working on going to Toronto, Canada, said Captain Ronald Reece, one of the principals of the venture.
Speaking to Stabroek News during the commissioning of Wings Aviation’s new hangar at the Ogle International Airport on Thursday, Reece said that the airline is concentrating on getting its certification for Toronto before focusing on clearing with the Guyanese authorities.
Asked how the certification with the Guyanese authorities was coming, Reece said, “It is coming along. I don’t want to say much more right now but I am working with the Minister and the rest of the [regulatory personnel].”
In response to a query as to what routes will be operated out of Georgetown, Reece said he was not too sure of the route structure as yet. “Right now we are operating from Kingston [Jamaica] to John F. Kennedy. We are working on going to Toronto shortly from out of Kingston and when we get the Toronto permission sorted out then we will be coming to Guyana. But we want to get everything sorted out in North America,” he said.
“On September 7, 2011 directors of Wings Aviation spearheaded the formation of Fly Jamaica Airways Limited and we are pleased to report that Fly Jamaica received approval the US Department of Transportation, the Federal Aviation Administration and the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) to operate commercially into the USA. The first commercial flight took place on February 14, 2013 from Kingston to JFK and vice versa,” he said.
He said that in terms of Caribbean private sector integration the company has created history with the launch of the airline.
Speaking to this newspaper on Thursday, Director General of the Guyana Civil Aviation Authority Zulficar Mohamed said the airline’s documentation is still being examined. “They are operating out of Jamaica. They have applied here but we are still examining their documentation. Once they submit everything we will then make a recommendation to the Minister and then it will go to Cabinet,” Mohamed said.
In February, a cautious Minister of Works Robeson Benn said Government was being very meticulous with the new airline given the experiences with REDJet and EZJet. Both of these airlines folded after a few months of operation. He said that the Government needed to have information on the major investors of such undertaking.
He said that the Government of Guyana, like any responsible Government has to be interested in whether there is viability and sustainability in financing for that operation, noting that this is a standard requirement “anywhere in the world.”
According to Fly Jamaica’s website, new destinations to be added are Toronto and Guyana, both subject to Government approval. Following a three-week delay, the new airline took to the skies on February 14 on a flight from John F. Kennedy Airport in New York to Norman Manley International Airport, Kingston Jamaica. It said that on August 24, 2012, Fly Jamaica conducted a demonstration flight from Kingston, Jamaica to Georgetown, Guyana, as part of the Jamaica Civil Aviation Authority’s (JCAA) approval process; and on August 31, 2012 the JCAA issued the airline with its Air Operators Certificate (AOC).
According to the website, Fly Jamaica in order to operate as a commercial US-registered carrier also had to satisfy rigorous requirements for the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), Department of Transportation (DOT), and Transportation and Security Administration (TSA).
Fly Jamaica was incorporated in Kingston, Jamaica on August 22, 2011 and started with a Boeing 757 aircraft. “We faced a rigorous start-up process, including meeting national and international requirements,” the airline said on its website. It said that through the stewardship of its experienced management and dedication of its employees, “we proved to aviation regulators that we have what it takes to be a world-class airline.”
