More flights to and from Canada are needed and President Dr. Irfaan Ali hopes that Guyanese can work together to satisfy this demand as the government continues its efforts at organising more international flights from Guyana.
“We have thrown out a challenge to Guyanese who can come together in a consortium to let us fix the Canadian route and get more seats in,” President Ali said at a recent event.
For some time, the government has been attempting to secure more direct flights to and from Canada, where there is a sizable Guyanese diaspora.
President Ali hinted at existing challenges hindering travel to Guyana in September when the country will host the highly- anticipated cricket carnival and finals for the Caribbean Premiere League (CPL) cricket tournament.
Currently, only the Trinidad-based Caribbean Airlines serves this direct route. Public Works Minister Juan Edghill told a recent press conference that the government is in talks with other international airlines, though.
In February, Air Canada- the largest Canadian airline – reportedly signalled keen interest to enter Guyana’s market. Air Canada is the flag carrier and the largest airline of Canada by fleet size and passengers; its headquarters is based in Saint-Laurent, Montreal, Quebec.
Meanwhile, President Ali also said that the government is in talks with KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, which is the flag carrier airline of the Netherlands.
“… we are hoping also that KLM can make their decisions very quickly so we can work from different angles,” the Head of State said.
These statements come just days after it was announced that British Airways, the United Kingdom’s (UK) flag carrier, will commence flights in Guyana starting next year.
Additionally, specific to the Netherlands/ Europe route, President Ali has called for the special Schengen visa to be issued in Guyana. This visa is issued in Suriname and local business players are among those who have complained of the inconvenience of travelling to the neighbouring country for this service.
