The Ogle International Airport (OIA) will be renamed the Eugene F Correia International
Airport (EFCIA) and plans are under way for the unveiling of the name to coincide with Guyana’s 50th independence anniversary celebrations.
However, this decision still does not rest well with some airport operators who had objected to the suggestion made by President David Granger last year.
The President had said that he believed if the airport was renamed EFCIA, it would be paying tribute to the late veteran aviator. But Air Services Limited (ASL), Roraima Airways, Hinterland Aviation, Oxford Aviation, Phoenix Airways, Domestic Airways, Jags Aviation, Wings Aviation and Hopkinson Mining Aviation, which came together and formed the National Air Transport Association (NATA) unanimously rejecting it. They said they believed the name would give Trans Guyana Airways a marketing advantage as the Correia name is linked to that operation.
Yesterday, Trans Guyana’s Chief Executive Officer Michael Correia told Stabroek News that he feels hurt that the companies have made the issue one that targets his company and that they have failed to see the rationale behind the airport’s renaming.
Correia, who is also Chairman of the OAI Board, said, “This is a Government of Guyana initiative, it is not an Ogle Airport initiative, and it has never been put forward by OAI. It is an initiative by government put to the OAI and approved. There are members of NATA on OIA, remember that. They also want it to seem like it was pushed by the Correia Group and personalized it. That is not the truth… The government has listened to both sides of the argument and obviously the government took action,” he said.
“You would have to ask the President why is it that they want to rename the airport and you really need to ask NATA how they feel because this is not an issue between them and us which is what they are trying to make it out to be, they have to ask government too,” he added.
Correia has also made clear that he doesn’t believe his company would have a marketing advantage.
He said he felt the proposal was made because the President is a historian. He had pointed out, during a press conference last year, that initially all the members of the board agreed to the change but then backpedalled.
“The name change issue, that President David Granger had proposed. He made that request to the board … all the members discussed it and while they had some initial reservations the board agreed to the name change. The board has written to the President indicating this but since that has happened a number of them have changed their minds it seems,” Correia had said.
“I think they are making a mountain out of a molehill. I think that is something that is put out there and there should be no reason for opposition anyway because most of the customers have two things when considering [options] and that is the price and service. I don’t see how the name can change that,” he added.
Correia said it was his vision to have aviators working in unity for the betterment of the sector and he feels disturbed by actions of a few to make the renaming of the airport an issue.
“I would like to see consensus and I think it is important in these times that the sector remains united and it is just unfortunate that a few individuals with their own agenda have decided on this particular direction. I believe in particular my company is being unfairly and unjustly attacked. It is left to the public to judge,” he said.
