Guyanese, who are planning to travel to the United Kingdom from Georgetown, will no longer have to visit a neighbouring country for a connecting flight as British Airways has begun flying the route.
Flight BA 2159 touched down at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA), Timehri yesterday afternoon at 4:25 pm.
Flights to Guyana from London’s Gatwick International Airport will take place on Mondays and Thursdays.
The airline is using its Boeing 777-200ER, which has the capacity to carry 332 passengers, to fly the route that includes a short stop in St Lucia. Among the passengers on the inaugural flight were the United Kingdom’s Minister for the Caribbean and the Americas, David Rutley and St Lucia’s Tourism, Minister of Investment, Creative Industries, Culture and Information, Dr Ernest Hilaire.
Guyanese Government officials were on hand to welcome the flight crew and passengers to Guyana.
Minister of Public Works, Bishop Juan Edghill, said the flight is an important development for Guyana’s tourism industry as air traffic has advanced 25 per cent above its pre-pandemic numbers.
“We are growing. And we will continue to grow. So, there are two things we’re doing. We’re expanding facilities at the airport, and we are growing routes,” Edghill said.
Meanwhile, Minister of Tourism, Industry and Commerce, Oneidge Walrond said that the introduction of the flights presents a myriad of opportunities for Guyana, including those for additional partnerships.
She said: “Connecting the world to Guyana remains a priority of this government. We see Guyana as an active part of a global travel network, and we are continually engaging major airlines with a view to encouraging them to serve this destination. Our pursuit of airline connectivity is part of a wider strategic economic objective to make Guyana easily and affordably accessible to all business in all sectors, including the leisure and pleasure travel sector.”
