Guyana to champion the environment at intl. aviation conference
─ technical expertise for helicopter inspection also on agenda
DPI, Guyana, Tuesday, September 24, 2019
Under the leadership of Director-General, (Ret’d) Col. Egbert Field of the Guyana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA), six working papers on the environment and helicopter operation in the country will be submitted at the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) conference.
Most of the working papers will seek to address environmental issues. GCAA will make submissions on capping greenhouse emissions. These emissions are compounds in the atmosphere that contribute to climate change. Director-General Field said: “We are looking at how we can balance whatever it is capped. If we cannot cap it, then, what alternatives can we use?”
Director-General of the Guyana Civil Aviation Authority, Col. Egbert Field.
GCAA will also lobby for aircraft operating within its jurisdiction to become more environmentally friendly.
Concerning the increasing traffic of helicopters in Guyana, the GCAA head noted the authority needs to, “build itself into a robust unit to deal with this influx of helicopters.”
As such, working papers will also be presented to tackle the deficiency of the aviation body to provide the oversight needed. “The working paper deals with how to get assistance from other states to help us to deal with our matter,” Field mentioned.
It is hoped that this assistance will materialise with experts coming to Guyana to lend their support. According to the DG, “I am looking at getting the assistance of experienced inspectors from other states… to come to Guyana to train some of my inspectors who are not experienced in that area.”
This support will have a detailed layout of the partnership GCAA hopes to bridge with other members of ICAO in strengthening its technical capacity.
Also, there will be the election of a new president at the conference. Dr. Olumuyiwa Benard Aliu is the fifth and current president of the ICAO Council. The international body is a United Nations agency that was established in 1944 to manage the administration and governance of the Convention on International Civil Aviation (Chicago Convention).
The conference will take run from September 24 through August 4.