Guyana today signed an open skies Air Services Agreement with Colombia to promote and facilitate airlines to operate air services between the two countries, as well as other countries, according to a release from the Guyana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA).
The Agreement was signed in Bogota, Colombia by Jair Orlando Fajardo, Director, Colombian Civil Aviation Authority and Juan Edghill, Minister of Public Works, at the thirteenth ICAO Air Services Negotiation (ICAN2021) event, being held between December 6-10 in Colombia.
In addition to the standard articles of Grant of Rights; Designation and Revocation; User Charges; Recognition of Certificates and Licences; Tariffs; Commercial Opportunities; Fair Competition, inter alia, Edghill said “in this Agreement, we have agreed to remove all restrictions on market access, capacity, frequencies, and pricing to create for a more open market and to give route rights to our respective airlines”. The release said that Edghill further noted that the agreement is in keeping with the Government’s commitment to connect Guyana with the rest of the world.
Consistent with Government’s model of open skies agreements, the Agreement enables acceptance of the Principal Place of Business as a means of designating an airline in contrast to the traditional restrictive requirement of substantial ownership and effective control by nationals of either country. The release said that this means that the airlines could benefit from foreign share capital and investment, once they establish their main economic and operating base in either Colombia or Guyana. The release said that the Principal Place of Business condition for airline designation is now a common inclusion in Air Services Agreements and creates a very advantageous position for small states with limited capital or financial resources.
Currently there is no direct flight between Guyana and Colombia, however, this Agreement puts in place the legal framework that opens market access for airlines to operate and enhance competitive air transport services, trade, and economic growth between the two countries, the GCAA said.