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AOAG suggest $1.5B to improve hinterland airstrips
The Aircraft Owners Association of Guyana (AOAG) has proposed a $1.5B budget that would go towards improving the much needed hinterland airstrips for the ever growing domestic flight sector. This area has been highlighted as a critical necessity but it is believed that not enough is being done to address the many faults with the majority of interior aircraft landing grounds.
The body has proposed that some $500M be spent annually for the next three years on the interior airstrips, with specific emphasis being placed on lengthening the strips to accommodate larger aircraft. President of the AOAG Michael Correia told a gathering of media persons at a special press conference last week that the airstrip program is very critical. He said “A detailed proposal to rehabilitate and maintain most of airstrips in operation,” was presented to the government in this regard.
From left: Anthony Mekdeci, Kit Nascimento, Michael Correia and Annette Arjoon
“We have budgeted approximately $ 1.5B to be used over a three-year period.”
This he said included lengthening airstrips at Matthews Ridge, Kaieteur Falls, Baramita, Lethem, Imbaimadai, Kato, and Aishalton among others.
Correia added that it was recommended that apart from the lengthening of airstrips, some of the money be used on strips that are operational but are in need of maintenance. In this regard, Correia said that it was also suggested that an oversight committee comprising members of the aircraft industry and members of the various communities be set up so as to ensure the upkeep of the airstrips by those directly affected.
The AOAG President said this issue has been raised at the highest level through interaction with President Donald Ramotar and Finance Minister Ashni Singh. He said the body hopes that positives will be the outcome of this project since, “in any developing country, the development of the aviation sector is pivotal.”
The project, he added, has been expressed to opposition parties Alliance for Change (AFC) and A Partnership for National Unity (APNU); “and they have both vowed their support for this national effort.”
Annette Arjoon, General Manager for Air Services Limited (ASL), said that in relation to airstrip improvement, “what has been happening at the informal level is that, for example, there are collaborations between ASL’s Chief Pilot and Trans Guyana’s Chief Pilot that when we go into an airstrip where we think it is too treacherous, we jointly don’t send our aircraft there and then we advocate for authorities to work on the issue as soon as possible.” She explained other informal measures that could be used in the meantime to help speed up the airstrips’ improvement process.
Trans-Guyana Public Relations Officer (PRO) Kit Nascimento explained however that there is an established system where pilots record and assess the airstrip being used. He said it is a type of inspection for the Guyana Civil Aviation Authority, since based on the information and feedback from the pilots, “GCAA have to address the airstrip specifically, on safety grounds or that airstrip is deemed not safe and thus place pressure on the Ministry.”
Nascimento reminded also that money for the aviation sector was reduced by the opposition in the last budget so it was thus necessary that the AOAG spend time with both opposition parties to discuss the matter.
Nazim Baksh, Executive of the Guyana Gold and Diamond Miners’ Association (GGDMA) and a domestic aviator, said, it was important to note that of the many hinterland airstrips in the country, government only maintained 45 and because they are not properly kept, “it is affecting not only hinterland travel, but also the mining industry since we have to use smaller aircraft, which means less load and is more costly, among other things.”
Several other members of the aviation sector have also been calling for the improvement of interior airstrips, claiming that this factor not only affects travel to the areas, but even the type of plane to be used.
AOAG has noted however a “tenfold increase” in the sector. It was noted that during the time when the Guyana Airways Corporation (GAC) was in operation, 1350 passengers were being transported in the hinterland per month, while today, private operators transport about 13,000 persons monthly with 150,000 pounds of cargo.
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