CONVIASA Airlines of Venezuela made its inaugural flight to Guyana yesterday and will be commencing a once a week commercial service in December, officials from the airline said at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport, Timehri (CJIA) just after touchdown.
This initiative was spawned out of the 5th Meeting of the Guyana-Venezuela High Level Bilateral Commission that was held in Guyana on August 30, 2013. At that meeting, it was agreed that CONVIASA will commence two weekly flights by mid-November, 2013 between Guyana and Venezuela with a connection between Puerto Ordaz and Caracas.
The aircraft, which touched down belatedly at 14:20hrs, arrived with Venezuelan journalists, officials from tourism bodies and other persons connected to tourism. While no specific date in December was identified, the service will eventually graduate to a twice weekly one.
Speaking at a welcoming reception held the arrivals area of the CJIA, airport CEO Ramesh Ghir said he welcomed the prestigious airline and congratulated it on the first flight to Guyana. He said that it marks a great achievement in Venezuela/Guyana relations. He called
CONVIASA the largest flag carrier in Venezuela and noted that it currently serves countries in the Caribbean and South America and Spain.
He said that a service to Puerto Ordaz means less money spent and less time travelling. “CONVIASA adds to our strategy of becoming a next generation hub,” he explained, while adding that the acquisition of the services of the new airline will see the airport attracting new services. He said that together with the expanded airport passengers will be able to connect to other destinations and services.
He said that with the addition of the airline, the CJIA will become a hub of the Guianas.
Chairman of the CJIA Board Ramesh Dookhoo said that the launch of the service came at a very opportune time when Guyana’s economic expansion demands that there are more connections to the rest of the world. He said that the collaboration with CONVIASA will enhance Guyana’s South/South trade. He noted that with the airline, the opportunities for trade with Venezuela are numerous. “The Board of the CJIA pledges to assist you with the marketing of your airline to ensure that seats are filled,” he said. “CJIA has plans to expand and
CONVIASA is a part of those plans,” he added.
Director of the Guyana Tourism Authority Indranauth Haralsingh stated that the new airline and route will expand travel, tourism and trade opportunities between the two countries and will open access to other destinations in South America and elsewhere.
“CONVIASA is a perfect fit for Guyana because of its regional connections complement Guyana’s airlift needs,” he said. He thanked the governments of Guyana and Venezuela for putting together the deal in such a short time. He said that there has been an over 20 percent increases in arrivals from Venezuela and with the coming of the new airline, this increase is expected to be sustained.
“The arrival of CONVIASA is a [positive signal] of the confidence that Venezuela has in Guyana,” he said.
President of CONVIASA Luis Gustavo Graterol Caraballo expressed gratitude to the two governments for being able to put together the arrangements for the arrival of the airline in such a short time. He said that this shows that when two nations make a commitment, they can achieve tangible results in a short space of time. “We are filled with pride. We would like to highlight our presence in Guyana where we can offer our service,” he said. He stated that it will take 51 minutes flying time between Puerto Ordaz and Venezuela.
“Intially we will start with one flight per week but over a short time we will offer [twice weekly],” he said. The aircraft to be used will be a Bombardier CRJ 700.
“We are going to have real growth in terms of flights. We hope to bring bigger aeroplanes to improve the transport capacity [for travelling to Venezuela],” he added.
“This is a very important agreement for the interconnection between two peoples that are brothers. We know that there is a big population of Guyanese people living in Venezuela and also because it is possible for us to expose all the beautiful tourism places Venezuela has and also for the Venezuelan people to come to Guyana and see the beautiful [sights],” he said.
Speaking at the ceremony, Minister of Transport Robeson Benn spoke of the “embarrassment” Guyana faces when travellers to Venezuela or other South American destinations have to travel to Miami or New York and then fly back south to their destinations. “We will work to ensure that it is safe and sustainable and that every flight is a welcoming and wonderful experience,” said Benn.
