Former chairman of the Private Sector Commission Ramesh Dookhoo said that the decision by the United States authorities to withhold permission for two air carriers to operate directly to the US from Guyana will have implications not only for ticket pricing but also on business here.
Speaking to Stabroek News yesterday, Dookhoo said businessmen need to travel and know that they do not have to transit anywhere before meeting their destination. He said the US decision could hurt business and exports since the airfreight costs will be a greater burden.
Dookhoo said it is for this reason that Guyanese should press for greater competition in the industry so that this may result in costs eventually coming down. He noted that one way of seeking such competition in the aviation landscape is by supporting the new airline Fly Jamaica, which made its debut here two weeks ago.
The US authorities rejected bids from both Caribbean Airlines (CAL) and Fly Jamaica to operate a direct service from Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA), Timehri to John F Kennedy International, New York. CAL passengers en route to New York must make a stopover in Trinidad and Fly Jamaica passengers must travel to Kingston, Jamaica.
Efforts to contact other officials in the private sector, including PSC Chairman Ron Webster and Georgetown Cham-ber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI) head Clinton Urling proved futile as they were said to be travelling.
Dookhoo, who is also Chairman of the Board of Directors at the CJIA, called on the government to review the flag carrier status afforded CAL, citing this as one of the reasons Delta might have departed Guyana in May after operating a direct New York–Guyana service for five years. Preceding Delta was North American Airlines which operated for some time before ending its run.
Speaking to this newspaper, veteran aviator and hospitality investor Gerry Gouveia called the actions of the US authorities an attack on Guyana and said that it was a serious blow to investment and tourism here.
“I am very disappointed that the US authorities would do that. I see them as punishing Guyana and not necessarily the two airlines,” Gouveia, a former chairman of the PSC, said. “This is a direct hit to Guyana. Why would they do that to us? I am hoping that both airlines have an appeals process where they are able to explain that Delta Airlines pulled out of Guyana leaving us with no direct flights to the US,” he said.
He said there might be a chance that this fact was not explicitly represented in the previous application process by both airlines.
He said too that it might be a situation that warrants US Ambassador Brent Hardt speaking out since staff from the US Embassy in Georgetown would travel to and from the United States and would therefore experience the hassle of travelling to Trinidad or Jamaica before flying for five more hours to the US. “We need real established airlines operating out of Guyana,” he said, calling for CAL and Fly Jamaica to persevere in their quest to offer direct flights to the US.