President Ali outlines strategy to position Guyana as regional aviation hub

President Dr Mohamed Irfaan Ali has unveiled bold plans to position Guyana as a major aviation hub, with a focus on enhancing infrastructure, security, and passenger services at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA).

The announcement came during the commissioning of the US$20 million Courtyard by Marriott, Guyana’s first international airport hotel, which the President described as a vital piece of the country’s hub strategy.

He outlined a slew of direct initiatives to achieve this goal, which include the expansion of the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA) with the construction of a second terminal to handle increased passenger traffic.

The government will also invest in upgrading the runways and taxiways and will introduce the next generation of air traffic systems.

But most importantly, “We have to strengthen our security framework so that our partner can have confidence in us, so that we can be a clearinghouse for passengers proceeding onwards into the US and other places. That is where we want to position Guyana,” President Ali said as he delivered the feature address.

He said that the establishment of world-class accommodations like the new Courtyard by Marriott will help achieve this vision, with a complete airport shuttle for seamless travel.

“If we want to be a hub, then we need not just planes and runways, we need facilities. We need accommodation. We need world-class hotels at our airport. That is how a small nation takes a giant step into the global stage,” he added.

He highlighted Guyana’s geographic position at the centre of Africa, the Caribbean, South America, Central America, and North America, which he said gives the country the advantage of becoming a major transit hub.

“We can connect people and cargo, travellers and businesses, families and opportunities from one part of the globe to another.  That is why we’re expanding the Cheddi Jagan International Airport,” the president affirmed.

This will undoubtedly unveil vast economic opportunities in aviation, tourism, and trade, President Ali said.