AA eyes November take-off
Director General of the Guyana Civil Aviation Authority, Lt. Col. (ret’d) Egbert Field is flanked by top officials of the American Airlines
Director General of the Guyana Civil Aviation Authority, Lt. Col. (ret’d) Egbert Field is flanked by top officials of the American Airlines

…eyes four flights per week, daily from next June

AMERICAN Airlines is hoping to start operations here with four flights per week and announced plans to operate daily in June 2019. This was disclosed when the airline officials met with Guyanese authorities earlier this month.

Members of American Airlines team met with the Guyana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) on June 12, 2018 at the Authority’s head office in Kingston. The meeting was convened by the Director General, Lt. Col. (ret’d) Egbert Field, who outlined to the representatives of American Airlines, the requirements they must fulfill before commencing operations in Guyana. American Airlines is interested in providing scheduled flights on the Miami-Georgetown route from November 15, 2018.

According to a GCAA release, Field expressed his pleasure at such a well-established airline showing an interest in Guyana’s market. He noted that the GCAA is committed to doing its part in facilitating the application process of American Airlines, while assuring the airline officials of the GCAA’s robust oversight capabilities.

GCAA Director General, Lt. Col. (ret’d) Egbert Field (extreme right) and other GCAA staff, in discussion with representatives of American Airlines

The GCAA said that American Airlines has already commenced the process for approval to conduct scheduled operations on the Miami -Georgetown route. The airline is coming to Guyana at a time when the country, for the first time in its aviation history, will be hosting the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) Air Transport Meeting scheduled for November 21 to 23, 2018.

The meeting will attract delegates from many of the ICAO 192 member states. Leading the team from American Airlines was Mr. John Williams, who indicated that American Airlines is enthusiastic about commencing operations in Guyana at the time of the ICAO Air Transport Meeting.

Back in March when it announced plans to fly the Guyana route it was said that the timing of the take-off in November seems to coincide with the completion of the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA) which is scheduled to be completed by December 2018. When completed, the US$150M expansion project is expected to yield two passenger boarding bridges for arrival and departures; a 450-seat departure area, escalators and elevators in addition to its extended runway catering for larger categories of aircraft.

In its initial release the airline had said that it has a rich and robust history of serving Mexico, the Caribbean and Latin America (MCLA). “And American is continuing to grow its presence in the region with the addition of four new destinations. Next winter, customers looking for history, culture and warm climate will have access to three new cities in South America: Georgetown, Guyana (GEO); Pereira, Colombia (PEI) and Cordoba, Argentina (COR); and one new city in Mexico: Oaxaca (OAX).”

According to the release, American Airlines is also introducing a service to Buenos Aires, Argentina (EZE), from its West Coast hub at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), making American Airlines the first and only airline to offer nonstop service between these two major cities.

“We’re creating a world-class customer experience and as the largest U.S. carrier in Mexico and South America, we are committed to offering more choices with the best schedules for our customers in the region,” said Vasu Raja, vice president, Network and Schedule Planning. “As we look to strengthen our network, we’re excited to add more nonstop flights to places like Buenos Aires, maximizing connections across our network.”

Reacting to the news, Minister of Public Infrastructure, David Patterson had said, “I am delighted that American Airlines will commence flying to Guyana in December. This will coincide with the launch of the newly expanded Cheddi Jagan International Airport and demonstrates a confidence in destination Guyana not only as a desirable tourist destination but as an emerging oil economy as well.

The government has been working at various levels to provide more options to travellers to and from Guyana, to North America, with increased airlift, and American Airlines’ commitment to destination Guyana is recognition of government’s work since coming into office in 2015.”

American Airlines and American Eagle offer an average of nearly 6,700 flights per day to nearly 350 destinations in more than 50 countries. American Airlines has hubs in Charlotte, Chicago, Dallas/Fort Worth, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Philadelphia, Phoenix, and Washington, D.C. American Airlines is a founding member of the oneworld alliance, whose members and members-elect serve nearly 1,000 destinations with 14,250 daily flights to 150 countries.

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