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Pres. Ali turns sod for $2.5B Bartica terminal
— Promises international flights, cheaper fares, and new hospital
(Kaieteur News) – President Irfaan Ali on Sunday turned the sod for a massive $2.5B aircraft terminal at the Bartica Airport—an investment set to deliver international flight capability to the township for the first time and reshape Guyana’s aviation landscape.
The project, a partnership between BK International Group of Companies and Jags Aviation- companies owned by Brian Tiwarie, will feature commercial spaces, restaurants, cafés, 50 hotel-style rooms, medical service areas and full aviation facilities. Once completed, within 12 months the terminal will accommodate international traffic and support direct movement of passengers and cargo from the interior to overseas destinations. The development is also expected to complement the world-class golf course soon to be constructed in the township.
President Irfaan Ali alongside Minister of Public Utilities and Aviation, Deodat Indar, representative of BK group of companies and Jags Aviation officials, turning the sod at Bartica airport
During the ceremony, President Ali commended the project stating, “this is an exciting development and one that is transformative in its nature and character. Bartica is changing and changing rapidly and it is all part of the transformation taking place nationally.”
He revealed that the terminal is expected to be completed within 12 months, allowing for direct travel from interior regions to international destinations. “When places are easier to reach, they become easier to grow. Within 12 months, we will fly food from out the interior, whether it’s from Lethem or here directly into Caricom countries. In 12 months, we will get it done,” President Ali stated. President Ali emphasised that the terminal will form part of a “golden triangle of connectivity, by river, by land, and by air”, positioning Bartica as one of the most strategic transportation hubs in Guyana and the wider Caribbean.
He also acknowledged significant improvements within the aviation sector, noting the extensive investments made in new assets and modernisation efforts. However, he challenged the sector to adopt a more balanced pricing mechanism for consumers. “We have given the aviation sector enormous incentives we have given then enormous support in removal of taxes and fuel. It is time that the aviation sector returns that support to the citizens and the people of our country. There is no way the aviation sector cannot at this time at least reduce air transport by 15%. I challenge Jags Aviation to once again be the trailblazer in reducing this cost that is not outside of your reach,” President Ali urged.
New hospital
Additionally, President Ali announced that a new, state-of-the-art hospital will be launched in Region Seven by the end of the first quarter next year. This facility, he said, will significantly enhance medevac capabilities and improve emergency healthcare delivery across the region, with the help of the aviation sector. “When we have medevacs we can now have a facility in Bartica that can take care of those medevac bringing health care more efficient, saving time, saving life in emergency and that is will allow us to do so,” he said.
Meanwhile, Minister of Public Utilities and Aviation, Deodat Indar, echoed the President’s sentiments and highlighted the government’s broader aviation expansion plans. These include a new airport at Rose Hall in Region Six, an international airport in Lethem, and extensive upgrades to hinterland airstrips. Additionally, Region Seven will see the construction of 16 new concrete airstrips, while Region Eight will receive 10, bringing the total to 26 new airstrips across the two regions. By 2026, approximately 35 new airstrips with a cost of $30 billion in investment, are expected to be completed. “About 35 new airstrips in 2026 close to $30billion will be going into the new airstrips to ensure that no community is inaccessible and to bring own cost of the operators that ply those trade, and in turn we hope that the ticket price, cargo price can reduce,” he said.
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