The Guyana Civil Aviation Authority’s National Aviation Safety Seminar opened today at the Pegasus Hotel with Minister of Public Works, Juan Edghill underscoring the importance of maintaining high safety standards as the industry experiences rapid growth.
Declaring that nothing must be taken for granted in the aviation sector, Minister Edghill said the aviation industry must continue to be effectively monitored and managed to allow for a seamless operation, even with the increase in flights.
In 2022, international freight traffic experienced an increase when compared to passenger traffic at the country’s international airports.
“International freight grew by approximately 4.7% to 9,797 metric tons up from 9,354 metric tons in 2021, and that’s international freight. Passenger traffic, over-all, the total passenger traffic to and from Guyana, experienced a growth rate of approximately 77.9%. Total international [passenger] traffic increased 399,483 passengers to 710,564 passengers in 2022 – making the case that Guyana has a growing Aviation Industry internationally,” Minister Edghill pointed out.
At the Eugene F. Correia International Airport at Ogle, international passenger traffic grew by approximately 82% in 2022 to 53,315 up from 29,290 in 2021.
Over at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport, international passenger traffic increased by 77.5% in 2022 to a total of 657,249 up from 370,187 passengers in 2021.
Visitor arrival at CJIA, during the first six months of 2023 increased by 16.2% with some 149,020 passengers arriving.
“You have thousands of lives at stake every day. When we go to work, when we give guidance to aircraft, when we service aircraft, to ensure that they are serviceable and worthy of flying. Owners and operators cannot afford to cut corners, inspectors cannot afford to be blind or selective in their observation. We have to ensure that safety comes first,” he told the industry players.
Director General of the Guyana Civil Aviation Authority, Egbert Field, also spoke of the importance of maintaining high industry standards.
He said in 2020, the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), in conducting a safety oversight audit of the country’s Aviation Sector, said it had a compliance rate of 77%.
“In 2021, the South American Office of ICAO in conducting their analysis realized that Guyana, using their mathematical formula for safety oversight index, and that mathematical formal is comparing a state’s effective implementation, its traffic volumes and the number of departures and accident rate, they assessed Guyana as number one among the 35 states of Latin America, North America, South America and the Caribbean,” the Director General pointed out.
Mr. Field said Guyana must remain number one in the region by improving on its implementation and adherence to international aviation standards as outlined by ICAO.
Throughout the course of the seminar, the key players in the industry will discuss the importance of developing a safety culture as well as the ‘human factor in airport operations.”
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