KINGSTON - Last evening, the GCAA in collaboration with the Aircraft Owners Association of Guyana held a Stakeholders Forum at which most of the pressing challenges affecting the aviation industry were ventilated.
I believe, last night’s forum serves as a good impetus for the commencement of this Aviation Conference under the theme “Advancing aviation through safety, technology and synergies”.
Aviation is a key sector in the facilitation of global, regional and national development. To underscore its importance, globally, aviation moves 3.3 billion passengers annually, contributes roughly 3.5 per cent of global GDP and employs some 58 million people worldwide.
In Guyana, while the contribution of aviation to Guyana’s GDP is not known, the sector provides an estimated 3,000 direct jobs and is responsible for bringing 81 per cent of tourists to Guyana. Aviation connects our coastland and hinterland communities and supports a variety of activities and sectors such as agriculture, forestry, mining, tourism and social services.
From the commercial perspective, safety in aviation is a key prerequisite for the sustainable development of aviation which is a catalyst for economic and social development.
Despite its noted importance in Guyana’s national development, the sector faces numerous challenges such as, a weak regulatory regime, shortage of skilled personnel, underdeveloped search and rescue system, limited international routes and global connectivity, no national airline, poor state of hinterland aerodromes. Above all of these challenges, is the challenge to keep aviation safe and maintain public confidence in the safety of air transportation, which today, according to the International Civil Aviation Organization is still the safest mode of transportation.
I view this Aviation Conference as an importance one, as it will help us to shape our policies and priorities to set Guyana on the right track especially as Government’s attention is on restoration and renewal of Guyana to create ‘a good life for all’.
Guyana must once again find itself among the countries of the world that are compliant with ICAO Standards and Recommended Practices. We must investment in infrastructure that will aid our efforts to meet the timelines established in the Global Aviation Safety Plan and the Global Air Navigation Plan. Key to achieving this, is a successful completion of Guyana’s ICAO Compliance Project, which has received my Government’s support. With the successful completion of the ICAO Compliance Project, I am confident we will achieve the much talked about US FAA Category One status.
I am very pleased that the agenda for this Conference is centered on the pressing challenges affecting safety in the sector and therefore I envisage that at the end of today’s Aviation Conference, workable solutions will be arrived at, to improve aviation safety.
I am fully supportive of ICAO’s new direction of No Country Left Behind and therefore with regional, international and my Government’s support, Guyana will Not be Left Behind. Gone are those days!
I wish everyone a successful Conference.
Thank you!
