With international airports reopening today, the Guyana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) is currently in the final stages of reviewing an application to operate in Guyana by Turks and Caicos-based interCaribbean Airways and a recommendation will soon be put forward to the Minister of Public Works, Juan Edghill.
GCAA Director General Lt. Col. (Ret’d) Egbert Field in a recent interview told Stabroek News that they are in the final stages of processing the documents submitted by the airline and within another week it should be completed.
“We are in the process of tidying up the documents which should finish in another week or so. Then we will give the final recommendation to the minister for discussions with Cabinet for the approval,” Field said.
The Director General told Stabroek News that the airline at this point has not identified routes as yet but it is suspected that they will seek to serve the ones that had been operated by the cash-strapped LIAT Airlines which suspended operations earlier this year.
However, interCaribbean had noted in their application that they are looking to fill that void and increase activity along the routes between Providenciales, Turks and Caicos via Santo Domingo, Domini-can Republic and Georgetown.
The airlines had proposed commencement of operations from July 1, 2020 and had applied for a licence to operate here for a period of five years. The regional airline had also planned to fly here twice weekly but due to COVID-19 and travel restrictions imposed the commencement plan was pushed back.
interCaribbean made an application with the GCAA since March of this year. Field while confirming that his agency is in the process of reviewing an application for operation here by the airline had said that the airline has been knocking at the doors of the local industry approximately a year and a half ago.
He had explained that the airline in its application had said that they have seen an increase in passenger movement and recognised the difficulty in transporting passengers from the Greater Antilles region to Guyana.
interCaribbean Airways boasts two ERJ145 50-passenger jets, eight 30-passenger Embraer 120 aircraft equipped with lavatories, a galley and flight attendant service, as well as a nine-passenger Britten Norman Islander.
The airline on its website said two additional ERJ145 aircraft have been acquired and are being prepared for entry into service, alongside a new fleet type to be announced.
The airline was founded as InterIsland Airways by Lyndon Gardiner with a single small Cessna aircraft operating on demand charters, according to the website. Over the years, it has expanded its services.
