British Airways captain, Marc Chan, who has Guyanese roots, co-piloted the inaugural flight by the airline on Monday afternoon and beamed with pride having completed the task with Captain Alan Brooks, who also has Caribbean links.
“It will mark my first steps on to the land of my father and is one of the highlights of my flying career, which started 37 years ago in the RAF Air Cadets,” Chan said in a statement released by British Airways announcing the commencement of their flights on the route.
In a brief comment, Chan explained his father Michael Chan-Choong of Suddie, Essequibo Coast grew up dreaming of becoming a pilot.
“My father was a BOAC and British Airways captain from 1968 until 1999. He used to look up as a small boy from the jungle at the silver BOAC jets flying high above and dreamed of one day becoming a pilot. My father, Michael Chan-Choong, was the first Guyanese pilot in BOAC and one of the few ethnic pilots,” he explained.
During the welcoming ceremony yesterday, a clearly elated Chan had the opportunity to meet and interact with ministers Juan Edghill, Deodat Indar, and Oneidge Walrond, as well as Director General of the Guyana Civil Aviation Authority and others to share his story.
“Fifty years later I am very proud to help launch the inaugural service to George-town with my co-pilot Alan Brooks who has Caribbean heritage… I look forward to flying into Georgetown many more times,” he said.
British Airways (BA) on Monday commenced its scheduled flight operations to Guyana from the UK as it commenced its twice-weekly operations.
Its predecessor, British Overseas Airways Corpora-tion (BOAC) had last flown here 42 years ago.
British Airways’ VP Air-ports Latin America and the Caribbean, Ian Blackman, remarked, “As the longest serving carrier connecting the Caribbean with the UK, our new service strengthens the links to the region and introduces even more travellers to the British Airways experience. We’re delighted to be supporting the growth of business and leisure travel to and from Guyana, via St Lucia.”
The statement from British Airways explained that this first all-new direct service between London Gatwick Airport (LGW) and Georgetown, Guyana (GEO), which took off on Monday has further expanded the United Kingdom flag carrier’s footprint in the Americas.
The airline will fly from Gatwick Airport to Guyana twice weekly on Mondays & Thursdays via St Lucia. The service to Cheddi Jagan International Airport, Timehri also operates as a “tag on” on BA’s service from Gatwick to Saint Lucia.
The new flight makes a stop in St Lucia (UVF) in each direction, creating new connectivity between the Caribbean Island and both the UK and South America’s northern Atlantic coastline.
Arriving at dusk on Monday at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA), Timehri there was palpable excitement among officials of the three countries. Steel pan music filled the air and representatives of the United Kingdom High Commission here and St Lucia and Guyana governments’ welcomed passengers for the first time. The atmosphere was electric and passengers underscored that the flight was “exciting.”
British Airways, the official flag carrier of the UK, last August announced their plans to ply the route which has seen increased traffic since the country’s commencement of oil and gas operations. These flights here will offer not only connections to multiple destinations but extensive tourism and business opportunities for Guyanese entities.
Flights between London and Georgetown are operated using British Airways Boeing 777 aircraft featuring the airline’s Club World, World Traveller Plus, and World Traveller cabins. When booking and flying with British Airways, customers can choose from a range of flexible fares, price points and cabins to meet their needs, the airlines said.
