From September 1st Trans Guyana Airways (TGA) will be offering flights to Amsterdam, the Netherlands via Suriname through a partnership agreement with Royal Dutch Airlines, KLM.
The introduction of this new route creates the opportunity for faster and easier connections to countries in Europe and Asia. The route is said to be the fastest between Guyana and Amsterdam with a duration of 12 hours.
During a TGA press conference yesterday, it was pointed out that the next fastest route would be through COPA Airlines with a flight time of 15 and 1/2 hours.
The new route offers connecting flights via KLM from the Johan Adolf Pengel International Airport in Suriname to the Amsterdam International Airport Schiphol.
Commercial Manager of Trans Guyana Airways, Alexandra Correia, during the press conference at the TGA VIP lounge at the Eugene F Correia International Airport, said persons using the route will not be required to have an in-transit visa and there will be a smooth process while travelling.
She pointed out that passengers will not be required to go through customs and immigration checks after they would have been given clearance to travel from Guyana and luggage will be checked all the way through.
Trans Guyana will be using the Beech 1900D aircraft to fly passengers from Guyana to Suriname and flights will depart at 2 pm from Guyana and 1130 pm from Amsterdam.
According to Correia, this route is deemed convenient for business persons and flights will be available on Sundays and Mondays. She however pointed out that tickets for the flights must be purchased via the airline’s website or via travel agents. The round trip cost for the Trans Guyana leg is pegged at US$430 for adults and US$336 for children.
“We anticipate that the major beneficiaries of this new route will be business people travelling between Europe and Asia, specifically India and China, and Guyana. We expect that companies in the oil and gas, construction, mining and other sectors that have significant business interests in Guyana and are based in Europe and Asia will be just as excited as we are for this new connection,” she related.
Correia emphasized that this new route will also contribute to the tourism sector by offering a cost- effective channel into Guyana.
“This will also be great for Guyanese living in Guyana who would like to travel to Europe for business or pleasure and those Guyanese who wish to come back home to visit friends and family,” she stated.
Correia said the partnership for this venture was formed after market research showed there is a need for a connection from Europe to Guyana.
“We were exploring different routes to expand into and we had a few options. Market research showed us that this route was one that was long overdue and necessary connections were needed. We reached out to KLM and they were willing to partner with us to offer this connection to Guyana and Europe”, she said.
Guyanese desirous of travelling to the Netherlands have to go to Suriname to obtain a visa. It cannot be applied for in Guyana.
Country Manager of KLM’s Commercial Division, Martijn ten Broecke at the press conference held to announce the partnership said KLM was delighted to offer a connection between Guyana and Europe and Asia.
“KLM Royal Dutch Airlines is proud to announce its collaboration with Trans Guyana Airways in starting a new adventure connecting Guyana with Suriname and the world,” ten Broecke stated.
He added that this new connection gives them an opportunity to enter the Guyanese market. Broecke emphasised that his team in Suriname is committed to ensuring that passengers flying from Guyana will benefit from an exceptional and smooth transfer process when boarding.
He added that while safety is a priority to his company, they strive to be an airline with on-time performance to ensure customers get to their connecting flights to other destinations.
Passengers flying via KLM are also able to enjoy internet connections to inflight entertainment.
The airline currently operates a B747-400 aircraft for flights from Suriname and operates five times a week.
