Dear Editor,
We are a group of six smaller aircraft operators operating aircraft on domestic routes and based at Ogle International Airport.
We have for some time, adopted an amicable approach to resolving the myriad serious and vexing issues we face on a daily basis with Ogle Airport Inc, the company running the airport.
Much to our dismay, we saw an article in Stabroek Business on November 6, 2015 which seeks to canonize the management of Ogle International Airport by the Correia Group. This in our opinion is a covert attempt by the Ogle Airport Inc to monopolise public opinion in the face of an eruption of the unbearable discontent which is rife at the airport.
Ogle Airport, while improving its regulatory compliance and infrastructure in the past decade, is in fact an anti-competitive and oppressive business environment.
The establishment of an aviation operation requires large amounts of capital and the operating environment definitely contributes to the success or failure of the enterprise.
Ogle Airport has –
- refused to allow cargo transport operations using the main terminal (although foreign operators including LIAT are allowed to do so). The airport management actually strongly suggested that we use Cheddi Jagan International Airport for our cargo operations, thereby adding cost to our operations.
- is consistently reluctant to respond to our needs in a timely manner;
- allows us no voice on issues affecting us;
- imposes staff on us with authoritative and confrontational attitudes, often threatening, shouting, and demanding;
- is sub-leasing land for facility development at prohibitive rates;
- is charging astronomically high fees for airport usage;
- introduced a toxic and draconian operators’ agreement which demands that we sign over liens on all of our property including our aircraft, among other odious provisions.
Considering the fact that the aforementioned issues are serious, imagine how difficult the operating environment is when compounded with anti-competitive issues by Ogle Airport Inc management, led by the Correia Group.
The Correia Group controls the airport as a creature of its business and has –
- increased the cost of fuel;
- delayed the delivery of fuel to our aircraft;
- monopolised ground handling and other services;
- arbitrarily terminated tenancy contracts with the aim of forcing us out.
This translates into a wholly hostile, difficult and aggressive management system set up by the Correia Group to manage the day-to-day operations of the airport. This system is being used to unleash an attempt to regulate and rule our daily commercial operations in a most anti-competitive and oppressive manner.
We have now joined in unity and are now part of 9 operators out of 10 that are disenfranchised by the actions of the Correia group and their agents who manage and regulate the airport.
We therefore urgently call on the government to intervene, investigate and regularise this airport for the benefit of all of its stakeholders.
Yours faithfully,
Raj Persaud
Oxford Aviation Inc
For small operators of Ogle Airport