Caribbean Airlines Granted Flag Carrier Status

Guyana is providing "flag carrier status"' to the Trinidad-based Caribbean Airlines (CAL) allowing the airline to provide direct flights between Georgetown and New York and Toronto. Head of the Presidential Secretariat, Dr. Roger Luncheon, said the decision to afford CAL flag carrier status would be communicated to the regulatory bodies in New York and Canada.

Last December, the Donald Ramotar government bestowed the flag carrier status on the airline following the launch of its inaugural non-stop flight from Guyana to Canada.

A government statement said the investment being made seeks to ensure improvements in airline operations out of Guyana, and complements the anticipated CJIA (Cheddi Jagan International Airport) expansion to the terminal and runway.

"While there have been ups and downs, CAL has always been a stable partner in ensuring Guyana maintains its links with the Diaspora in North America and Canada where many Guyanese reside."'

Luncheon told reporters that while there have been successes with other airlines "I must admit that they have not been as sustained as we would have liked them to be.

"But those efforts continue, but the most recent initiative in granting the flag carrier status, this was the one that the Guyana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) recommended and Cabinet endorsed,"' he said.