Help make travel between continents faster – Ferguson tells air transport meeting   

Minister within the Ministry of Public Infrastructure, Annette Ferguson has called on air transport industry leaders to develop ways to lessen the time it takes to travel across continents to boost global air connectivity.

She made the appeal at the opening of the 2018 Air Transport Meeting, which was organised by the Guyana Government and the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) where delegates from around the world will discuss ways to promote air links.

The objective of the meeting is to craft solutions to remove impediments to air transport liberalization and to finance the development of quality aviation infrastructure.

It will also focus on promoting air links between African States and the Diaspora, especially in the Caribbean.

Minister Ferguson, who has responsibility for the aviation sector, acknowledged that “many of you delegates attending this meeting would have travelled through two to three different time zones for a period of three days to attend this very important meeting.”

Guyana itself has made strides in its own aviation sector, with the entrance of American Airlines and plans to develop the Lethem aerodrome into a regional hub.

But Country Representative of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) Sophie Makonnen noted that there are still many challenges affecting the regional sector. Among these she says are restrictive aviation policies and safety procedures are not necessarily on par with international standards.

The opening ceremony of this significant meeting was also addressed by the Secretary-General of the Caribbean Community, the Minister of Aviation of Ghana, President of the Council of ICAO, Director General of the Guyana Civil Aviation Authority and Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo.

The meeting will conclude on November 23, 2018.