New and upgraded airstrips coming to Arau and Kaikan villages

Jul 18, 2026 News

(Kaieteur News) – The Ministry of Public Utilities and Aviation has announced plans to construct a new airstrip at Arau Village and upgrade and extend the existing airstrip at Kaikan Village, both located in Region Seven.

Residents and community leaders learned of the government’s plans during a meeting on Wednesday with Minister of Natural Resources Vickram Bharrat and Director General of the Ministry of Public Utilities and Aviation, Alfonso De Armas.

“The Ministry of Public Utilities and Aviation is set to upgrade and extend the airstrip at Kaikan. In contrast, residents of Arau are set to benefit from the construction of a new airstrip,” the ministry said in a Facebook post. “Both of these milestone projects will commence shortly to boost hinterland travel, facilitate the movement of goods, and broaden connectivity between the coastland and hinterland communities.”

New and upgraded airstrips coming to Arau and Kaikan villages

The current condition of the Kaikan Airstrip in Region Seven.

Kaieteur News understands both remote airstrips are in urgent need of upgrading due to the poor condition of their current structures.

Speaking with Kaieteur News on Friday, Toshao of Arau Manuel Charlie said the community’s existing airstrip located roughly 4km away has not been used in almost a year because of its deteriorated condition. The strip can only accommodate small Cessna 206 aircraft.

“No, it hasn’t been used about one year now due to its condition,” he explained. “Well normally when there is rain, it is not safe for landing and it’s not compacted properly, it’s very soft.”

Though the airstrip sits idle, Charlie said residents still carry out manual maintenance, filling potholes and clearing vegetation around it. “Life has been so difficult for us so far, since it’s not being used,” he said.

With no working airstrip, residents travelling to or from Georgetown must first make a two-to-three-hour journey to Kaikan Village. “We travel by ATV (all-terrain vehicle), and then by boat to get to another village, Kaikan, and from Kaikan to go Georgetown we catch a plane,” Charlie said, adding that poor road conditions make the trip especially difficult during medical emergencies.

Director General of the Ministry of Public Utilities and Aviation, Alfonso De Armas alongside Minister of Natural Resources, Vickram Bharrat, and Member of Parliament (MP) Alister Charlie and Advisor to the Ministry of Amerindian Affairs, Yvonne Pearson during a community meeting on Wednesday.

Charlie said the current airstrip has existed since Guyana’s independence, and residents have been requesting a replacement for years, even before he became Toshao. At Wednesday’s meeting, officials told the community the new structure would measure roughly 3,000 feet, though ministry officials still need to visit the village to identify a suitable, accessible location.

Charlie said the new airstrip would mark a major development for Arau. “It opens the way for tourism, agriculture, and infrastructure,” he said. “It will make transportation easier to Georgetown with bigger aircraft and many more.” Residents hope the project will be built to international standards.

Arau is an Amerindian village bordering Venezuela, home to approximately 300 residents in a small, mountainous community.

Also, near the Guyana-Venezuela border is Kaikan, an Amerindian village of more than 500 residents. Toshao Katiuska Rodrigues said the planned upgrade to Kaikan’s airstrip is critical, since the village is accessible mainly by air.

Rodrigues said she raised the need for an upgraded or new airstrip during the recent meeting with the minister. “Right now, it is very risky presently, it got very deep potholes and we try to fix that every day,” she said. “Planes are landing every day like three or four planes.”

“So, when we heard that works are slated, we were happy about it, we will get bigger planes to land,” she added. “Pilots are very afraid to land presently, they [are] complaining every day [about] what are we doing about the airstrip.”

Rodrigues said the airstrip’s poor condition has driven up airfares for travellers. While the village council has a contract to maintain the strip, frequent air traffic makes proper repairs difficult. “It is difficult for us to close down the airstrip for a week or two to fix the airstrip properly, because we survive by bringing in stuff from Georgetown, our basic needs and so it is impossible for us to shut down the airstrip,” she explained.

Rodrigues said the planned upgrades would benefit not only Kaikan residents, but also miners and other people living on the outskirts of the community.

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airstrips, Arau, Kaikan Airstrip

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