An inquiry has been launched into the circumstances surrounding how two planes left Guyana illegally from the Eugene F Correia International Airport (EFCIA) last Saturday, Minister of State Joseph Harmon said yesterday.
“What transpired raised very serious security matters. The fact that the Eugene F Correia Airport is an international airport, that makes it even more important for us to ensure that our security procedures are tightened. The Minister of Public Infrastructure has advised Cabinet that he has set up an inquiry into what happened, when it happened, who was involved and what decision needs to be taken with respect to ensuring it doesn’t happen again,” Harmon said at a post-Cabinet press briefing, which was held at the Ministry of the Presidency.
He expressed hope that the report would be ready and made available in a “very short time,” while adding that government expects the ministry to make a public statement on the matter at the appropriate time.
Around 4am on Saturday, two Cessna 206 aircraft, bearing registration numbers 8R-GTP and 8R-GMP and owned by Oxford Aviation, took off from EFCIA.
They did not have the necessary Guyana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) clearance and permission to fly while there is a High Court injunction in place barring the aircraft from leaving this jurisdiction. That court matter stemmed from another company, Domestic Airways, owned by pilot Orlando Charles, filing litigation for payment for damage reportedly caused by one of the Oxford Aviation planes.
It was reported that two operators from Oxford Aviation, its owner Munidat ‘Raj’ Persaud and a pilot he brought from the United States, presented their airside passes to the airport security, while stating that they were going to place some items on the aircraft and later took off without warning.
The planes stopped in Grenada before leaving for Anguilla.
However, the aircraft were unable to leave Anguilla as Guyana had raised an alarm over the airspace regulation infractions here. Stabroek News understands that the planes were bound for the United States, where Persaud owns and operates a private charter service. One plane was subsequently allowed to leave.
