Demerara Waves Online News- Guyana Riding on the Crest of Truth
Last Updated on Thursday, 30 November 2023, 10:22 by Denis Chabrol
The United States-headquartered United Airlines on Thursday announced that it would be offering direct flights from Georgetown to Houston, Texas from April, 2024 but the Guyana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) said so far it has not received an application from that carrier.
United said the decision begin the four times weekly service to and from Guyana is subject to government approval. Aviation Minister Juan Edghill said the Guyana government has and United have been in talks since 2014.
Director-General of the GCAA, Retired Lt. Col. Egbert Field told Demerara Waves Online News that he was unaware that United has applied for permission. “The Civil Aviation Authority is the one that receives applications and grants approval after the minister has given the approval. The Civil Aviation Authority has not received any application from United Airlines,” he said.
“I am, however , glad that we are in their plans,” he remarked.
The airline said that on April 1, United will be the first airline to offer non-stop service between Houston and Georgetown, Guyana*, with four times weekly service on a Boeing 737-MAX 8 aircraft.
This route joins nonstop flights to more than 160 destinations from Houston, including more than 85 destinations no other carriers serve non-stop from the city – including places like Brazil, Australia, Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Panama, Peru and more.
Over the past decade, United has added more than 20 new destinations out of Houston, including to Sydney, Australia; Santiago, Chile; Punta Cana, Dominican Republic; Munich, Germany and more.
The airline says it will also debut its largest-ever schedule between Houston and Florida this March, with a 25% increase in flying compared to 2023. The airline is adding more than 200 additional flights in March to top destinations including Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Palm Beach, Fort Myers, Tampa, Orlando and more.
United today announced growth plans in Houston that include a $2.6 billion renovation and expansion of Terminal B at George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH), a new United ClubSM location and Early Bag Storage facility (EBS) as well as a new direct flight to Georgetown, Guyana*.
These investments are part of the airline’s United Next growth plan and include the expansion of 40 gates at IAH to accommodate larger aircraft, resulting in a 40% increase in the overall number of people who can fly on peak travel dates in 2026 compared to 2023.
United is the largest airline in Houston, with more than 14,000 employees and 400 daily departures – the airline hired more than 2,100 people locally in 2023 and expects to add another 1,500 in 2024. This expansion is also expected to create an additional 4,000 construction jobs. According to a recent study by Compass Lexecon, United’s direct employment in Houston contributes to more than $1.2 billion in economic activity annually. Including the Terminal B project, United has invested more than $3.5 billion in its Houston facilities since 2015.
United CEO Scott Kirby will be joined by Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner and other officials to celebrate the expansion and show off the airline’s new Airbus A321neo, which takes its inaugural flight from Houston today and is one of 800 new planes set to join United’s fleet between 2023 and 2032.
“United Next is about new investments that improve the customer experience and building careers for the next generation of aviation professionals – and all those things and more are coming to life here in Houston,” said Kirby in a company statement.