Guyana at its most recent International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) Coordinated Validated Mission (ICVM) audit came through with flying colours and a grade that showed an improved level of compliance.
This is according to Director General of the Civil Aviation Authority, Egbert Field, who disclosed that Guyana moved from 44.24 percent to 64.66 percent compliance, which is well above average in the Caribbean.
Field says the Authority is moving forward and in doing so, is trying to establish a robust oversight system. It is with this in mind that he adds that the Authority has decided to employ “qualified individuals to ensure that the oversight and surveillance can be conducted in a proper manner.”
Speaking to the auditor’s comments, Mr. Field reported that Guyana was described as “being on the right track and heading in the right direction.” However, the auditor did highlight the need for continued training and for some additional skills within the Authority, “that is where we fell down a little in the audit because we did not have enough expertise. Gaining expertise for full compliance is a very expensive process and every country would normally face this.”
The Director-General has noted too, that with the support of the relevant stakeholders, including the government, the GCAA will continue to move ahead and meet its targets.
Regarding Guyana’s quest for achieving Category-One status with the ICAO, Director-General Field has said he is hoping to achieve this within a year’s time but he notes that this is dependent on when the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) decides to conduct their audit here. Category 1 status means that a country’s civil aviation authority has been assessed by FAA inspectors and has been found to license and oversee air carriers in accordance with ICAO aviation safety standards.
