Latest update January 18th, 2025 7:00 AM
Modern equipment installed at CJIA
-airport’s capacity to land planes in poor weather, visibility boosted
A major programme to upgrade the navigational system at the Cheddi Jagan International
The glide path transmitter will provide vertical guidance to the pilot.
Airport (CJIA) has been completed and Guyana now has enhanced capacity to land aircraft during bad weather or poor visibility.
The announcement was made yesterday by the Guyana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA), regulators of the country’s airspace.
According to GCAA, the two special systems were commissioned under a Government of Guyana capital project to modernize the navigation system.
The navigation equipment comprises the Timehri Instrument Landing System (ILS) which includes approach Distance Measuring Equipment (DME) and a new High Powered DME co-located with the Timehri Very High Frequency Omni Directional Radio Range (VOR).
“These en-route navigational and landing aids have been flight-checked, tested and certified during the first week of February, 2012 and have been commissioned for use by aircraft operating in Guyana’s national airspace,” GCAA revealed.
The ILS provides enhanced capability during bad weather with poor visibility since it allows flight crews to make precision approaches for landing.
The system comprises a localizer transmitter, a glide path transmitter and distance measuring equipment (DME).
“When an aircraft approaches to land and is on final approach it intercepts the localizer which gives accurate horizontal guidance along the centerline of the runway. When intersected at the correct angle with the glide path, the instrument in the cockpit will indicate to the flight crew that their aircraft is precisely on the centerline and at the correct gradient,” GCAA explained.
The Timehri ILS will now allow the airport the possibility of safely guiding an aircraft to 200 feet above the runway as against 520 feet when only the VOR is in use.
“The DME gives information on the distance the aircraft is from the runway. The DME co-located with the VOR provides more accurate positioning of an aircraft. These tools provide bearing and distance information which are used in the air traffic management environment to pinpoint aircraft positions relative to each other in order to provide a more efficient and effective service.”
The new equipment will go a far way in allowing better use of the airspace since more precise position information is available to air traffic controllers.
According to GCAA, the air traffic controllers who manage Guyana’s airspace can apply more efficient separation standards to ensure adequate spacing between aircraft, optimizing use of airspace and allowing aircraft to operate at their optimum profile while ensuring safety of our skies.”
Prior to this installation, CJIA and GCAA’s infrastructure was supported by a single VOR since the removal from service of the high powered DME in 1997 and subsequently the ILS in 2003 followed by the decommissioning of the Non Directional Beacon.
Navigation throughout Guyana’s airspace was accomplished with the use of the VOR complemented by satellite technology such as the Global Positioning System (GPS) and Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS).
There had been major concerns over Guyana’s capacity expressed especially by Trinidad and Tobago following a crash-landing incident of a Caribbean Airline jet in July at CJIA.
Guyana had insisted that its systems were working fine and its track records unquestionable.
Guyana has announced a major project to build a bigger airport with a deal already signed with a Chinese firm.
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