Guyana rises to 64% compliance on ICAO ratings

Dec 23, 2016 News

In May this year, the Ogle Airport was renamed to the Eugene F Correia International Airport. It

Director-General of the GCAA, Colonel (Retired) Egbert Field

was during this occasion that the Minister of Public Infrastructure, David Patterson, stated the David Granger-led Administration was committed to drastically reducing the frequency of air accidents, while adding that when it came to the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), the regional average is above 70%, while Guyana stood at 44%.
Now, some seven months later, Guyana is 64 percent compliant.
Director-General of the Guyana Civil Aviation Authority (GCCA), Colonel (Retired) Egbert Field, during a recent press conference at the agency’s Headquarters in Kingston, Georgetown, stated that a higher score could have been achieved if the agency did not fall short in the ICAO assessment.
This shortfall was attributed to the lack of a high level of expertise within the GCAA.
He explained that the process of gaining the expertise required for full compliance is an expensive one, and Guyana was not unique to this. Every country would normally face this, he said.
The GCAA Head underscored the need for the establishment of a ‘robust’ oversight system, citing its importance in facing the challenges that are likely to arrive in another two to three years.
Quizzed by media operatives on how soon the State can expect to move toward the direction of full compliance, he said that while the agency will be glad to attain this by next month, this is easier said than done. He added that a lot depends on the pending audit into the local aviation sector by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
The GCAA in the meantime, he said, will continue to build and improve its score.
One of the initiatives he outlined will see the authority improving its position in the establishment of a fully-prepared staff. This exercise will be conducted within the next six months so when the FAA audit comes into being, the agency will be in a better position.
Meanwhile, overall training will continue, and the agency will also move to acquire and develop some additional skills within the Authority.
“I will not condone corruption”
Col Field said that in order to transform the GCAA to one of the finest in the Caribbean, he will not condone any form of corruption within the agency.
He explained that there have been several negative remarks being levelled against the agency and gave his assurance that the entity will be moving to “better skies” and to be an agency that it was intended to be – to revolutionise the Aviation Sector.
The Director-General made these remarks while addressing a group of agency officials that recently returned from a 14-week training session in Air Traffic Control procedures in Jamaica.
Field said that his intention is to steer the Authority in the right path as was previously recommended by the ICAO. However, to achieve this goal, there needs to be a collaborative effort.
“We are going to move ahead as a family, and with that collaboration within the authority, we are going to make this authority one of the best authorities in the Caribbean.
The agency is currently in the process of training 35 individuals in various aspects of Air Traffic Control, and with the group of eight that returned from Jamaica, they still have a lot to learn before they can become certified practitioners.
To aid this, Field said the Authority will be looking at sourcing some experienced inspectors from within the Region to become mentors and also instructors, to provide on-the-job training to staff.