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CJIA gets lion’s share in aviation budget
– APNU promises to focus on sectoral inefficiencies
By Zena Henry
Local aviation was once again gut-punched, with a mere two hundred million dollars being allocated for the rehabilitation of hinterland airstrips. Although the sum is more than double of that allocated in last year’s budget, administrative and managerial development within the sector took a back bench, while the continuation of the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA) expansion project attracted some $6.6B.
Finance Minister
Ashni Singh
Finance Minister Dr. Ashni Singh in his 2014 budget presentation on Monday allocated $231.1 million to deal with the much talked about dilapidated state and poor maintenance of interior landing grounds.
However, aviation stakeholders and veterans such as those in the Aircraft Owners Association of Guyana (AOAG) have considerably emphasized that much more has to be done to foster and maintain a strong local industry.
They had recommended a five-part proposal that suggested $1.5B to rehabilitate and maintain the numerous hinterland airstrips. They had also placed immense focus on safety, oversight and training for aviation staffers.
However, the Finance Minister’s budget catered for the completion of the CJIA project. It was mentioned also that the relocation of the Guyana Defence Force engineering division at Timehri is almost completed, so that construction work on the new CJIA terminal building can commence.
“The tasks of improving linkages with important international business and commercial centres, and bridging the spatial divide between the populated coastal areas and the natural resource-rich hinterland communities with accessible transportation facilities and infrastructure, constantly preoccupy our development efforts,” the Minister told the National Assembly. He pointed out also that $67.2 million was disbursed for the maintenance of hinterland airstrips in 2013, while CJIA’s expansion and modernisation project receive $1.1 billion.
A Partnership for National Unity (APNU)’s Shadow Minister of Public Works and Hydraulics, Joseph Harmon explained however that the allocation toward local aviation is grossly insufficient. He said that work has already commenced for debates over what has been allocated for our “growing” domestic air services sector.
Harmon was adamant that the whole sector needs to be reviewed, especially in the areas of oversight, safety and security. He alluded to the current oversight system which involves foreign persons visiting Guyana once and twice a year to conduct inspections. According to the parliamentarian, efforts should be in the making to have locally-placed personnel trained and equipped to inspect and service the sector in those specific areas, since in his opinion, those are the areas to secure and strengthen the sector.
Shadow Public Works Minister Joseph Harmon
Assertions were also made in terms of the recent spate of domestic aviation accidents – two occurring weeks apart in January and one last week. Harmon reiterated that safety remains a major issue in the sector and extensive work must be done to address the matter.
Harmon went on to hinterland airstrips which he described as being in “poor condition”. He added that Leader of the Coalition, David Granger, had expressed also that a lot more is required for interior landing spaces, since a trip to the interior proved that air traffic there has grown immensely. Harmon said it was amazing to see the amount of flights landing and taking off within the hinterland. This he also attributed to the poorly maintained interior roads. Persons, he said, were therefore depending on the flight services to interconnect within the region.
The Shadow Public Works Minister mentioned further that while enormous sums of money was being pumped into the CJIA, air traffic is considerably greater internally.
Not wanting to speak extensively on the project, Harmon did register APNU’s intent to scrutinise the CJIA allocation which is being requested separately. He added that, “we will be scrutinizing all these major projects.”
Harmon however, reiterated that the country first needs to stabilize the local aviation sector before it can cater for international growth.
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