Aviation Authority to draft strict COVID-19 regulations for airlines, airports
─ penalties for noncompliance in the pipeline
DPI, Guyana, Saturday, June 6, 2020
Airlines operating in Guyana along with airport staff and pilots will soon be required to comply with COVID-19 regulations set out by the Guyana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA), as the regulatory body moves forward with developing a draft document.
Speaking at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA) on Saturday after witnessing the arrival of Guyanese that were stranded in Miami, GCAA’s Director General Lt. Col. Egbert Field told DPI the forthcoming regulations are necessary to bolster the Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) that were drafted.
The referred SOPs were finalised by GCAA as part of the first of the 4-phased blueprint under consideration by the National COVID-19 Task Force (NCTF). This blueprint is expected to guide the reopening of the nation’s two main airports to international travel.
“Should individuals not conform to the measures outlined in the SOPs, there must be a document that you can refer to and say ‘listen, you’re accountable to this section and if you transgress this section, you must be able to face some kind of penalty’,” DG Field explained.
“Whether it be the airport, the airline or the pilots, either suspension of license, suspension of operating certificate [etcetera],” DG Field continued.
The GCAA head was adamant that the regulations to come on stream are necessary for the other phases of the blueprint to take effect.
DG Field further noted the development of the regulations will be done through meaningful consultations with all stakeholders.
On March 18, Guyana closed the CJIA and Eugene Correia International Airport (ECIA) to international travel as part of its fight against COVID-19. The airports’ closure has recently been extended to June 17 as part of the country’s emergency measures.