Public Works Minister Juan Edghill has said that there has been a recorded increase of persons transiting through the Cheddi Jagan International Airport.
This increase has now taken the level of traffic at the airport almost back to the levels recorded before the country was hit by the devastating COVID-19 pandemic, which forced the country into lockdown.
“August of July 2022, these number are recorded as of the end of July 354,961 passengers transited and operated through the Cheddi Jagan International Airport and that is compared to a 183,063 for the corresponding period last year…in 2022 we are already recording a 94 per cent increase of traffic for the corresponding period last year,” the Minister said on Wednesday during a press conference.
He added that arrivals at CJIA reflected a 97 per cent increase while departures reflected a 91 per cent increase, adding that “we are currently doing 95 per cent of our pre-pandemic traffic which was measuring at 2019 before we had to into the lockdowns in 2020.”
“So, right now air traffic and travel in and out of Guyana, we are getting back almost to the pre pandemic levels and we have seen significant increases over the last year,” he said.
The Minister stated that since taking office back in 2020, the Government has been able to double the number of airlines operating here.
This has now led to an increase in the number of seats available for travel as compared to previous years.
“When we came in on October 2020 and we reopen that airport there were just 4 airlines operating, we had Caribbean Airlines, Copa Airlines, Suriname Airways and American Airlines. The total available seats as of October 2020 amounted to 260,434.
“In two years, we were able to get Jet Blue, Inter Caribbean Airways, Fly Allways and we are welcoming British Airways. So, we met 4 airlines operating and in 2 years we have been able to double that by putting in another 4 airlines operating in and out of Guyana,” he stated.
The total available seats as of July 2022 is 627,318, which is an increase of 140 per cent as compared to the seats offered in 2020, when the Government took office.
With the arrival of British Airways, the newest airline operating out of Guyana will be able to add 1328 per week or 69,056 seats per year.
The Public Works Minister further explained that this is due to the Government’s decision to reopen the airports despite the negative feedback from naysayers.
“I think the visionary leadership and decision making directed by President Irfaan Ali, when we decided October of 2020 to reopen our airport is bearing fruit and we led the Caribbean in this regard and I’m sure that everyone is now contended that we made the right decision amidst all of the risk and the cry and the pessimism that was being offered, that we were going to bring COVID in and kill people.
“We had given the figures of how many persons had tested positive on arrival and those numbers are miniscule, we were able to control this in a great way and we also want to remind that airports international would have certified and accredited the Cheddi Jagan International Airport with very high accolades of our ability to operate during that COVID-19 period,” Edghill added.