Guyana is an airline dream

Sep 26, 2013 Editorial

After a calm comes a storm. Then comes a lull in the storm and pretty soon another storm rages. Air travel in Guyana can be likened to the storm situation with its troughs and hills; its calm and its fury. There was a time when aircraft came to Guyana so regularly that hardly could anyone complain about not being able to take a plane out of the country.
The aircraft plied the Caribbean islands and mainland America and Europe. In fact, Guyanese travelled to every corner of the earth at their pleasure. Travel was a joy.
But after a time there is a lull often caused by economic conditions. The number of people travelling dwindled because money became scarce. Airlines collapsed and with fewer airlines, fares began to rise. Guyanese were asked to pay more than they normally would. And they complained.
This trend continued. The airline that remained as constant as the northern star is now named Caribbean Airlines. It faithfully continued serving the Guyana market. Today it has the distinction of being the oldest airline to operate in and out of Guyana. And Guyana became its most lucrative market and to this day, it still is.
Guyana eventually developed its own airline and offered its people a service that was not only efficient but was cheaper than anything that operated at the time. The pressure for what the authorities considered reasonable airfares forced this development. Indeed, the other airlines operating in and out of Guyana at the time were forced to match the fare charged by the local airline.
This was the storm; charters began to operate and there was no problem flying. Some of the charters offered dirt cheap flights and pretty soon people in the Diaspora began to turn their attention to their homeland.
There is the view in professional circles that the late President Janet Jagan caused the collapse of the national airline. So one airline ceased operations and the fares shifted upwards once more. Fortunately for the local traveller these fares were not as exorbitant because the charters kept coming. These were flights operated by Guyanese who were rooted in the Diaspora.
The charters however died; their owners could not support them. Most of the time they pulled the plug after they landed in Guyana. The visitors were stranded.
Caribbean Airlines stayed and enjoyed a monopoly but the fare was exorbitant for the Guyanese traveller.
Up until tomorrow, it remains the only airline that has been operating in and out of Guyana. It enjoys a monopoly because the only other reliable airline that provided a service pulled out of Guyana earlier this year.
That monopoly is almost over. There is a move by a number of other airlines to fly in and out of Guyana. One of the possible entrants to the market is a charter that once operated in and out of Guyana at a time when there were the usual charters that catered for people in the Diaspora.
As is often the fate with these charters, they carriers fell from the sky while the faithful Caribbean Airlines remained.
And while this was the case, Trinidadians with their arrogance tried to lord it over Guyanese. Too numerous have been the complaints of Guyanese being harassed at Piarco International. The Trinidadians were cock-a-hoop that Guyanese depended on their airline to even get across the border.
Guyanese complained but they paid through their noses to get to the various locations in North America and Europe. That is about to change once more.
As was the case three decades ago two airlines with Guyanese roots should begin operating out of Guyana once more. And for the first time in nearly four decades, there is an air link between Guyana and Jamaica.
What the layman finds amazing is that a country with less than a million people and considered among the poorest of the poor can create such a demand for aircraft. Perhaps it is the enterprising nature of the Guyanese that is causing them to spread their wings, to expand markets outside of Guyana.
Whatever the case, they themselves are providing a market within the airline industry and in the process, are making their country very accessible.

Latest News

Guyana is an airline dream

Related

Similar Articles

The Glenn Lall Show|| April, 14th, 2025

Follow on Tik Tok @Glennlall

THE BLUNT OF THE DAY

Sports

Ramdheol fifty leads pilots Guyana to 6-wicket win

Berbice thrash Demerara by 82-runs after Fraser...

Guyana Rainforest Rangers to bowl encampment...

A tribute to Milton Robert Pydana aka ‘Golden...

GCB expresses condolence on the passing of former...

Covent Garden Secondary boys on course for Region...

Features/Columnists

In praise of the Almighty Executive Order

Collaborative Government–Private Sector Action Imperative for a Resilient Trade Future

World coming to an end

Publisher’s Note

Weekend Cartoon

Bridge Watch

Demerara Harbour Bridge

> Berbice Bridge […]

Guyana is an airline dream

Share this:

Related

Similar Articles

The Glenn Lall Show|| April, 14th, 2025

Follow on Tik Tok @Glennlall

THE BLUNT OF THE DAY

Sports

Features/Columnists

Publisher’s Note

Weekend Cartoon

Bridge Watch

Demerara Harbour Bridge

> Berbice Bridge […]