Minister Edghill engages ICAO Secretary General on Guyana’s compliance with ICAO SARPs

The International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) Secretary-General (SG) Mr. Juan Carlos Salazar met with the Hon. Minister of Public Works, Bishop Juan Edghill and Director General Lt. Col. Egbert Field at the ongoing thirteen ICAO ICAN 2021 Event being held in Colombia.

 Also attending the meeting was the Regional Director for the ICAO South American (SAM) Region, Mr. Fabio Rabbani.

The ICAO Secretary General and Minister Edghill discussed ways how ICAO could support Guyana with its effective implementation of the ICAO’s Standards and Recommended Practices (SARPs). They also discussed capacity building initiatives and technical support which ICAO can provide in areas such as training. Guyana renewed its request to ICAO for assistance in offshore helicopter operations and support in the development of hinterland aerodromes.

Minister Edghill thanked the ICAO for its continued support and assistance to Guyana over the years and pledged Guyana’s support for the international body’s work programmes.

Both the ICAO Secretary General and Regional Director congratulated Guyana on the significant developments made in aviation in recent years. Notably, Guyana received the highest Safety Oversight Index for its robust safety oversight capabilities in all 35 States within the South American, Latin American, North American and Caribbean Regions.

The Secretary General posited that Guyana is in a strong position to become a regional leader in aviation within the Caribbean and South American and a model for other States to follow.

Currently, Guyana’s EI score of the ICAO’s SARPs is 75%, which is far above the global average of 60%.