The Trinidad Civil Aviation Authority today said that Guyanese travelling to the US via Port of Spain will have to be screened by security there.
A release from the authority follows:
The Trinidad and Tobago Civil Aviation Authority wishes to advise the travelling public of Guyana that the United States Department of Homeland Security Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has issued an Emergency Amendment to the aviation security measures applied at the Last Point of Departure (LPD) for flights to the United States. This Emergency Amendment takes immediate effect.
The US TSA Emergency Amendment directs aircraft operators to screen all transfer and transit passengers and their accessible property at the Piarco International Airport as the LPD when travelling to the United States, prior to boarding the aircraft. Consequently, passengers originating from Guyana and other destinations transferring at the Piarco International Airport to the United States must undergo security screening together with their accessible property.
The Emergency Amendment issued by the United States Department of Homeland Security, Transportation Security Administration supersedes the Memorandum of Understanding established between Guyana and Trinidad and Tobago for the Mutual Recognition of Aviation Security Measures, which allowed passengers originating from Guyana and transferring at Piarco International Airport, Trinidad, to continue their journey without undergoing screening.
The MOU between Guyana and Trinidad and Tobago was established in 2015 to promote a “One-Stop” Security Arrangement to improve the processing of passengers transferring at Piarco International Airport and the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA) on Caribbean Airlines flights.
To ensure aircraft operators comply with the United States TSA Emergency Amendment to screen all transfer passengers and their accessible at the Piarco International Airport as the Last Point of Departure into the United States, the Trinidad and Tobago Civil Aviation Authority in collaboration with the Guyana Civil Aviation Authority has suspended the MOU between Guyana and Trinidad and Tobago. The suspension is effective immediately.
The Trinidad and Tobago Civil Aviation Authority (TTCAA) regrets any inconvenience to passengers travelling from Guyana and transferring at the Piarco International Airport which may have been caused by the suspension of the MOU as a result of the TSA Emergency Amendment.
The TTCAA continues to collaborate with the United States Department of Homeland Security TSA and the Guyana Civil Aviation Authority with a view to improving the security processing of passengers originating from Guyana and transferring at the Piarco International Airport to the United States.
