Arrivals at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA) are up by 68% since the reopening of airports back in October last year, Chairman of the Board of Directors Sanjeev Datadin said on Sunday.
Speaking during the commissioning of the airport’s newly installed Instrument Landing System and expanded runway, Datadin said that from data collected, the airport’s operations for both passenger and cargo flights are on an upward trajectory.
He pointed out that a total of 132,935 passengers arrived since October, 2020, including 108,943 passengers who arrived during this year. The total number of passengers that passed through the airport, he said, is 267,996, of whom 225,406 are from this year.
Datadin stated that 2,473 flights operated from the airport, and international landings have increased by 85% in comparison to 2020 and are 18% behind 2019’s figure.
Currently, 52 flights are operating out of the CJIA, with American Airlines operating 14 weekly flights between Guyana and the Miami International and John F Kennedy airports; JetBlue operating 7 weekly flights; Copa operating four weekly flights, and Caribbean Airlines Limited operating 23 weekly flights to Canada, the US and Trinidad and Tobago.
Additionally, Datadin emphasised that the efforts are being made to ensure every safety measure is in place.
To this end, he announced that 90% of their staff are vaccinated while 80% of employees of concessionaires and other stakeholders are fully inoculated. He explained that of the 10% of full-time staff not inoculated, some are exempted due to medical conditions.
Datadin added that they have been engaging medical personnel to speak with staff members and provide clarity on any issue as a measure of encouraging persons to be vaccinated.
