GCAA justifies grounding some Air Services Limited’s flights

Last Updated on Saturday, 28 March 2026, 18:19 by Writer

The Guyana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) has justified the grounding of Air Services Limited’s (ASL) flights to Matthews Ridge, North West District (NWD) after there was a claim that one of the airline’s planes landed at a construction site.

“The pilot’s suspension and temporary operational restrictions were necessary as preventive measures against a more serious accident, subject to formal investigation and review, ensuring procedural fairness while upholding the GCAA’s duty to act decisively in the interest of safety,” the regulatory agency said in a statement.

An ASL source, however, said passengers aboard that Ogle to Matthew’s Ridge flight last Sunday disputed the claim by the contractor, saying that there was no such landing at the site.

The source said the contractor seemed to have unfairly targeted the pilot by showing the GCAA a picture of a bent metal on the ground and some old tyre marks and said the pilot touched down there.

The source said the ASL was losing an estimated GY$5 million daily as a result of GCAA’s decision to ground all flights to Matthew’s Ridge.

The bulk of revenue, the source said, comes from chartered shuttle flights to and from Matthews Ridge.

Reacting to the ASL’s claims in another section of the media that the GCAA was attempting to force the carrier out of business, the regulatory authority justified the action by Director-General Egbert Field to cease operations in keeping with the law.

“The suspension of Air Services Ltd.’s operations into Matthews Ridge, pending a thorough investigation into a reported incident, is based on the GCAA’s statutory mandate. The Civil Aviation Act 2018 authorises the Director General to take immediate action, including suspending licences, when safety may be compromised, subject to due process,” the GCAA said.

The GCAA sought to assure Guyanese that all its regulatory decisions are made strictly in accordance with its safety and security mandate.

The authority said all operators were expected to maintain the highest standards of compliance, professionalism, and safety culture as required by the Civil Aviation Act 2018 and accompanying regulations and requirements.

“Safety is a non-negotiable in the aviation industry. When risk patterns emerge, early action is not optional; it is essential. The GCAA remains committed to working with all operators to ensure safe and sustainable operations.”

In recent times, there had been a number of ASL landings at areas other than airstrips.

In November 2025, an ASL plane landed at a location near the Lumidpau School which is about one kilometre from the airstrip.

Last month, an ASL plane landed on the prepared section of the Matthews Ridge runway but overran onto an unprepared surface, resulting in a punctured tyre on the left landing gear.