Air Services Limited shuts down rotor wing operations after years-long certification fight

Jul 15, 2026 News

(Kaieteur News) – Air Services Limited (ASL), one of Guyana’s longest-serving aviation companies, on Tuesday night announced the closure of its rotor wing (helicopter) division, blaming what it describes as frustrated efforts to secure the regulatory approvals needed to keep the operation running.

In a statement released Tuesday night, the company said it spent seven years pursuing a rotorcraft Air Operator Certificate (AOC) from the Guyana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA), the agency that licenses and oversees aircraft operators in the country. ASL said it approached the process in good faith and expected a collaborative relationship with regulators, but instead encountered what it called repeated bureaucratic obstacles that ultimately made continuing the helicopter business untenable.

Air Services Limited shuts down rotor wing operations after years-long certification fight

Air Services Limited’s Bell 206L Rotocraft

The company framed the closure as a loss not just for itself but for the hinterland communities that depend on air transport. ASL has for decades served Guyana’s interior — regions with limited or no road access — offering essential services.

In its statement, ASL argued that certification and licensing processes in Guyana remain overly cumbersome for a country in the midst of rapid economic expansion, and said it believes the outcome could have been avoided with more proactive cooperation from regulators.

“It is deeply disheartening that in a nation poised for rapid expansion and economic growth, the mechanisms for certification and personnel licensing remain unnecessarily cumbersome. Aviation is the lifeblood of our interior connectivity; it is a vital utility, not a luxury. When regulatory frameworks become so rigid that they stifle long-standing, reputable operators rather than guiding them toward compliance, it is the Guyanese people who suffer,” ASL said.

The company thanked the GCAA for its role in the industry’s safety record, as well as its clients and the communities it has served, while expressing hope that the regulatory environment will become more collaborative going forward.

“We believe that with more proactive support and a genuine spirit of cooperation from the relevant authorities, this outcome could have been avoided. We hoped for an environment where regulators viewed themselves as partners in national development, willing to offer guidance to resolve complex certification issues rather than simply erecting roadblocks,” ASL said.

The closure statement lands amid a wider, more public dispute between ASL and the GCAA. Earlier this year, ASL’s chairman, Captain Ahamad Mazahar Ally, accused GCAA Director General Lt. Col. (Ret’d) Egbert Field of unfairly targeting the company, telling Kaieteur News that ASL had received verbal instructions to halt operations and restrict flights to the Matthews Ridge airstrip in Region One, along with pilot suspensions the company said cost it significant daily revenue.

ASL’s attorney, Motee Singh, went further, arguing the directives rested on unsubstantiated reports rather than a formal investigation, and the company signalled it was preparing possible legal action against the authority.

The GCAA has pushed back on those characterisations. In response to the claims, the authority said its actions — including the pilot suspension and flight restrictions — were preventive safety measures tied to a reported incident, taken under its statutory powers in the Civil Aviation Act 2018. The agency pointed to a pattern of landings outside approved areas, including an incident near Matthews Ridge in which an ASL aircraft overran the runway, and said safety decisions are not optional when risk patterns emerge. The GCAA has maintained that all operators are held to the same standards.

Discover more from Kaieteur News

Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.

Air Services Limited, certification fight, Guyana Civil Aviation Authority, rotor wing

Latest News