British Airways to begin Guyana flights in 2023

…reflects growing confidence globally in Guyana as tourism, economic hub – British High Commissioner

British Airways will commence operations from the United Kingdom to Guyana in 2023 but tickets are expected to go on sale from this week. British Airways joins several other airlines that provide air travel out of Guyana.
This announcement was made on Wednesday by Public Works Minister Juan Edghill.
“We gathered today [and] announced the successful completion of negotiations and today, [the] 10th of August, tickets for Guyana and for London via British Airways goes on sale,” the Minister said at a press conference, adding “British is the new carrier to enter the Guyana market starting today (Wednesday).”
The service will begin flying with in the first quarter of 2023.

“Today’s announcement and start of selling is to ensure adequate lead time and a proper rollout of this service,” the Minister noted.
He stated that they anticipate twice weekly service to Guyana and return from the airline, which will be using a Boeing 777 that will use 200ER equipment.
“ER meaning Extended Range with capacity for the carriage of fuel and this aircraft will have a capacity of 332 passengers. That puts into perspective exactly why we did not accept the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA) the way it was being envisage and constructed when we came into Government because such an equipment, the triple seven 200ER would not have been able to operate out of CJIA because the boarding bridges would not have been able to accommodate that.”
He noted that with the extensions that “we were able to get China Harbour to put in place at their cost which will accommodate the code D and code E type aircraft we can now accommodate these huge white body carriers bringing 332 passengers on board at a time,” Edghill explained.

He stated that this is a “game changer” in the market as it now doubles the amount that is carried by other aircraft at the CJIA. The cost of fights is also expected to be cheaper due to the size of the aircraft that will be plying this route.
Flights will be done in transit with St Lucia, which according to Edghill, will also open new opportunities for St Lucia as well.
“These flights will be coming through St Lucia and that means that were opening up really a new market a part from British airways bringing in European visitors or tourists, the fact that the flight will be coming in and out through St Lucia, it gives St Lucia a direct link with Guyana and that could also bring in a lot of people from the eastern Caribbean into Guyana directly,” he said.

New opportunities
Meanwhile, the British High Commissioner to Guyana, Jane Miller stated that this opens new opportunities that will strengthen the Guyana and UK relations.
“It reflects a growing confidence globally in Guyana both in its tourism as an economic hub for the Latin American and the Caribbean, so it thinks with that new confidence people like British Airways are coming in seeing huge opportunities,” she explained.
She added that this will give an opportunity to the people of the UK to experience Guyana’s rich biodiversity and tourist attractions.
“This is the most amazing tourist destination and so many people don’t know about it, going out into the black rivers and seeing the waterfalls and seeing the amazing biodiversity, the Rupununi, so I think it’s an incredible tourist destination and for sport and so many other things,” the High Commissioner said.
Meanwhile, Tourism Industry and Commerce Minister Oneidge Walrond further highlighted that the new airline provider to Guyana will now grant better access to the diaspora in the UK which surpasses 30,000 people.
“This means a lot for tourism, British Airways is coveted and one of the premier airlines and the fact that we have many people, our diaspora is over 30,000 living in the UK and they have been able to get direct access to Guyana.
“Our diaspora contributes to large part of our tourism market as well,” she added.