Government on Thursday announced plans for the overhaul of the civil aviation sector, including the approval for the establishment of a review panel to resolve the long-running disagreements between domestic carriers at the Eugene F Correia International Airport.
Addressing a post-Cabinet press conference, Minister of State Joseph Harmon informed that at Tuesday’s Cabinet meeting, Minister of Public Infrastructure David Patterson “gave full background on the lease and addressed Cabinet on several aviation industry matters, making recommendations on the way forward.”
Harmon also informed that Cabinet has approved the introduction of oversight for commercial and economic practices at airports throughout Guyana, through the enactment of regulations via legislation.
Further, he explained that the establishment of an airport authority would be put in place to create, upgrade, maintain and manage airport infrastructure throughout Guyana.
“Also approved [is the] development of a civil aviation master plan to guide strategic development of airport infrastructure. It will set out type of services and facilities to be provided by airports by category, [and] will also include plans for the development of air navigation services and safety oversight aspects of the national civil aviation system. These structures are very important since it is the intention of the APNU+AFC administration to ensure that in every region of this country, particularly 1, 7, 8 and 9, that we have municipal type airports of the quality we have at Eugene F. Correia International Airport so that with the development of these towns, the development of these communities we have to ensure that the systems are in place, that the regulations are in place that will guide the development,” Harmon said.
Harmon also said that Article 16 of the lease agreement between the government and the Ogle Airport Inc (OAI), which manages the Eugene F. Correia airport, stipulated the establishment of the panel. He said Cabinet has given its approval for the establishment of the panel.
The renaming of the airport this year saw acrimony as a majority of the operators at the then Ogle Airport were against the move, which they said would give an unfair advantage to the Correia Group, which is a major player in OAI. It also saw a bid in the High Court by the National Air Transport Association, which comprises nine aggrieved airport operators, to have the renaming halted but it was unsuccessful. The nine operators are Air Services Limited, Roraima Airways, Hinterland Aviation, Oxford Aviation, Phoenix Airways, Domestic Airways, Jags Aviation, Wings Aviation and Hopkinson Mining Aviation.
