Page 17 - AHATA

A13
Thursday 29 November 2018

Guyana and Aruba aviation authorities sign Memorandum of Understanding

By Denis Chabrol through Cuba. We would
GUYANA — Guyana and like to keep Cuba but a
Aruba inked a memo- straight flight is always what
randum of understanding our passengers want. They
(MoU) to pave the way want to go straight to their
for more carriers from that destination and this agree-
Dutch territory to fly to the ment will definitely be the
lone former British colony start of further agreements
on the north-east coast of in the future,” said Kirchner
South America. whose department is part
of Aruba’s Ministry of Trans-
Signing the agreement port, Communication and
were the Director-General the Primary Sector.
of the Guyana Civil Avia- Field remarked that nego-
tion Authority (GCAA), Re- tiations for the accord be-
tired Lt.Col. Egbert Field gan several months ago
and the Manager of the when Aruba Airlines was Director General of the Guyana Civil Aviation Authority, Retired Lt.Col. Egbert Field (left) and his
Strategic and Policy Unit given tentative permission counterpart from Aruba, Anthony Kirchner signing the memorandum of understanding on air ser-
vices between Guyana and Aruba. Witnessing the signing are GCAA Chairman, Retired Col. Larry
of Aruba’s Department by Guyana’s Minister of London (extreme left) and an Aruban official.
of Civil Aviation, Anthony Aviation, Annette Fergu-
Kirchner. son pending the comple-
Field explained that the tion of the memorandum.
MoU is a precursor to an Air “Temporary approval was
Services Agreement that given to them to conduct
would first have to be ap- their operation. We did not
proved by The Netherlands wait until his document was
which is responsible for Aru- signed,” he said.
ba’s foreign policy. The GCAA Director-Gener-
Speaking at the signing al said Guyana is unwav-
ceremony on the side- ering in its support for an
lines of the International open-skies policy through
Civil Aviation Organization air services agreements
(ICAO) meeting being held “because these instru-
in Guyana, Kirchner hoped ments are the elements
that the memorandum of and the basis on which air-
understanding would fa- line could ride on”.
cilitate more airlines flying Chief Executive Officer of
directly from Aruba to Guy- Roraima Airways, Captain
ana. Gerry Gouveia, whose
“It was quite a work, a lot company provides ground-
of pressure to fulfill all the handling services to Aruba
gaps and to continue, Airlines, praised the GCAA
especially for Aruba Air- for facilitating the MoU. “It
lines as a start. Hope we was your diligence and
would get more airlines eye for detail and getting
between Aruba and Guy- this done and your guid-
ana and the connectivity ance was invaluable,” he
because we don’t have said.
a straight flight. We hope Aruba Airlines, he said, has
that we can arrange, with committed to continue
the help of Aruba Airlines, and increasing operations
to get a straight flight not in Guyana. q