Residents of Eteringbang in Region Seven (Cuyuni-Mazaruni) and businesses that operate there are breathing a sigh of relief at the reopening of the airstrip, which is now operating on a three-day schedule.
Based on a notice issued by the Aeronautical Information Service of the Guyana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) and seen by this newspaper, the aerodrome, which was closed indefinitely to facilitate rehabilitation, is now open for normal operations, according to schedule, more specifically between Mondays and Wednesdays. Nonetheless, pilots are asked to exercise caution when using the aerodrome as maintenance work continues.
“All aircraft are required to circle the aerodrome twice before commencing an approach to the runway. Caution is still to be exercised as progressive maintenance of the airstrip is being carried out,” the notice said.
Stabroek News had earlier highlighted the concerns of both business owners and residents of the community who were left in a state of uncertainty following the abrupt closure of the Eteringbang Airstrip late last month.
Based on reports reaching this newspaper at that time, rumours of plans to close the airstrip had circulated throughout Eteringbang some two weeks prior to the actual closing, however no formal announcement was made.
This prompted a group of concerned business owners to have an ad published in which they called on the relevant authorities to properly engage them on the issue.
Their calls subsequently intensified following the issuance of a notice of the airstrip’s closure to aircraft operators just after 5 pm on March 31, which stated that the closure would be in effect for the next three months.
This prompted the business owners to issue another call for the relevant authorities to properly engage them, since they were at a loss as to whether any contingent plans were in place to support both businesses and the daily life within the community.
“We the miners, business persons and residents who utilize the Eteringbang Airstrip to support our businesses are extremely disappointed with the manner in which our airstrip was closed on March 24, 2017, for a period of three months. The notice was sent out to aircraft operators at 17:05 hours on March 24, 2017; there was no communication to us, the miners, business persons and residents who depend so much on this airstrip,” they said in an ad.
“This behaviour by the government is totally unacceptable and we are calling on them to review their position and put in place contingency measures for us,” it added.
As the main access point into Eteringbang, the airstrip not only facilitates the transportation of persons in and out of the area, but it also acts as a vital transit base for fuel, food supplies and other cargo deemed essential to mining operations in the area.
In the 2016 budget, over $1 billion were budgeted to upgrade hinterland airstrips, including those in Eteringbang and Kurupung, Region Seven; Paramakatoi, Kato, Kopinang, Monkey Mountain, and Mahdia in Region Eight (Potaro-Siparuni), and Annai, Region Nine (Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo).
According to the notice issued by the Aeronautical Information Service of the GCCA, several of the aforementioned aerodromes are also undergoing repairs, including Annai, Paramakatoi, Kopinang and Kato. However, Eteringbang was the only one that had been closed, as the others simply instructed pilots to “operate with extreme caution due to work in progress.”
A businessman who did not want to be named had said that in the past, all repairs to the airstrip were done by residents and business owners, as they took it upon themselves to drain the area whenever it became waterlogged by the rain, and they would even fill existing depressions on the strip with laterite.
And though he acknowledged that the airstrip was in need of rehabilitation, the businessman expressed disappointment at the lack of communication between the authorities and those who would be affected by the closure.
