American carrier JetBlue officially commenced its non-stop service between New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) and Guyana’s Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA), Timehri, on Friday night.
There were 150 passengers on board the JetBlue’s Airbus A321neo aircraft, which touched down at approximately 10.03 pm at the CJIA.
The CJIA said in a statement that the first roundtrip flight arrived back in New York yesterday morning. The new service operates up to four times weekly on JetBlue’s Airbus A321neo aircraft, it added.
Guyana becomes the fourth country in South America that JetBlue serves with the launch of the airline’s four-time-a-week service. It also flies to Colombia, Ecuador and Peru.
Giselle Cortes, the Director of International Airports for JetBlue, said in a video statement that the new service introduces a diverse underserved destination to the company’s route map.
Cortes said the service further highlights the company’s commitment to Latin America and the Caribbean and added that as a leading airline, Jet Blue intends to remain dedicated to growing its international footprint.
Cortes noted that this year marks the 20th anniversary for JetBlue, which she claimed has raised the bars and set new standards in the industry. By making the wellbeing and safety of crew members its number one priority, especially given how crucial safety is at this time, she said that a multilayered programme has been set up. This ensures safety from the ground up and focuses on maintaining healthy crew members, clean air and surfaces and more space with fewer touch points with travel flexibility. “We want our customers to know that they can experience a safe travel experience both in the air and on the ground,” Cortes said.
Minister of Public Works Juan Edghill, who has responsibility for the aviation sector, was among the government officials at the CJIA on Friday night welcoming the passengers who were on the inaugural flight. He also welcomed the US carrier “after months of hard work, persistence, determination and perseverance.”
“With Guyana being on the cusp of a major economic development, it is no surprise that JetBlue, one of the major airlines in the USA, has chosen our country as its latest destination route,” Edghill said.
He added that initial discussions between Guyana and JetBlue commenced in 2013, when Guyana was identified as a potential growth market for the airline. These discussions were led by the CJIA’s Chief Executive Officer Ramesh Ghir and then chairman of the board Manniram Prashad, when they visited the JetBlue head office in the United States of America.
In a video statement released by CJIA, Minister of Tourism, Industry and Commerce Oneidge Walrond welcomed JetBlue’s non-stop service and noted that the timing for the introduction of the service to Guyana is perfect given that many tourist attractions are receiving the greenlight to resume operations.
Walrond said that the link between the two airports will assure Guyanese living in the US more flight options at competitive prices. She added that the government remains very committed with improving airlift in Guyana and that the new service is a testimony to Guyana’s ability to look outwards and understand the economic climate and capitalise on the opportunities that are relevant to the global business. Additionally, she said that JetBlue deciding to make Guyana a destination demonstrates confidence in Guyana’s growing tourism sector and exemplifies the level of investors’ confidence in the local economy. She said that the government is determined to offer as much support as it can to JetBlue.
