Guyana Aviation Authority ranks top in the Region for int’l safety oversight capabilities

Guyana Aviation Authority ranks top in the Region for int’l safety oversight capabilities – ICAO Reports

May 28, 2021 News

GCAA Director, Captain Egbert Field.

Kaieteur News – Guyana has ranked the highest on an international safety oversight index for its robust safety capabilities when compared to all 35 countries in the South American, Latin American, Caribbean and North American Regions.

This is according to a recent report by the International Civil Aviation Organisation’s (ICAO) Global Aviation Safety index. ICAO announced Guyana’s safety status earlier this week.

According to the ICAO’s Global Aviation Safety Plan (GASP)’s key concepts and metrics, the safety oversight index of any state or country is an indicator of its safety oversight capabilities.
During a meeting to determine which state had improved its standard, a presentation of the newly developed safety dashboards was made, to follow up on the regional safety plan objectives.

In accordance with ICAO standards, the plan outlines that it is a number greater than zero where the number one, represents the minimum level of expected safety oversight capabilities of a state is made, considering the number of departures, as well as a proxy to the size of the state’s aviation system.

Among the indicators, the organisation could see an outstanding result in the safety oversight index, indicating important developments in Guyana, especially in the operations category. In keeping with that calculation, ICAO found that Guyana received the highest safety oversight index for its robust safety oversight capabilities when compared to all 35 States in the Latin America, North America, South America and Caribbean Region.

The Minister of Public Works, Bishop Juan Edghill, has since extended congratulations to the GCAA for its most recent achievement in aviation. According to a statement from the GCAA, the Minister expressed congratulations after he learnt that the GCAA has made significant progress in its safety oversight functions, following a report from the Regional Aviation Safety Group for the Pan America’s Executive Steering Committee meeting.
Meanwhile, in an invited comment, Director of the GCAA, Captain Egbert Field said, that he is honoured that Guyana has achieved such a feat.
“We have been doing what is been asked of us by ICAO for some time now, so it’s a very big achievement. I spoke with the Regional Director of ICAO on Monday and he was extremely excited to share the news with us,” Field said, adding that this is the first time that the country has ranked at the top for aviation safety.
“What this really means, is that the country is in capable hands at the level of the GCAA; that civil aviation has a system in place that ICAO as the international aviation regulator, recognises that we have been doing the work to maintain and enhance safety … In a nutshell what it means, is that Guyana has really made movements improving capability by leaps and bounds, in terms of monitoring to ensure safety of flights, air operators and aerodromes,” he explained.
In addition to its newest achievement, Field said, the Civil Aviation Act, which was passed in the National Assembly in December of 2018, gave the GCAA the most modern civil aviation law in the Region.