Guyanese start-up airline in charter agreements with European carriers

Last Updated on Tuesday, 10 December 2024, 22:37 by Writer

A Guyanese start-up airline, Jet Global Services (Guyana) Inc., has clinched a deal with Bulgaria-headquartered GullivAir and the Switzerland-based LunaJets to offer Guyanese and oil sector workers another option to connect to neighbouring Brazil, the Caribbean and North America.

“As Guyana becomes a significant player in the global oil market, the demand for a reliable, affordable international airline has never been more pressing. Jet Global Services and its partners are fully committed to meeting this demand, connecting Guyana with the world while propelling Guyana’s economy forward,” Jet Global Services said in a statement.

Sources said the Guyana government has green-lighted Jet Global’s application, but the company could not commence operations until it satisfies all of the requirements by the Guyana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA). Jet Global said “GullivAir is in the final stages of receiving all the requisite approvals from the Guyana Civil Aviation Authority, which is anticipated to be within weeks.

Those connected to the company are Frederick Hamley Case, former Guyana High Commissioner to the UK and non-resident Ambassador to Russia, France, Iceland, Latvia, Estonia, Slovak Republic, and Guyana’s Permanent Delegate to UNESCO; Mrs. L.C. (Singh) Choolun, Director, Investor, and Business Entrepreneur in London and Guyana, and Director of Chartwell Inc., Georgetown, Guyana; Mr. Chateram Ramdihal, Jet Global Airways Accountant, Georgetown, Guyana; Mr. Kashir Khan, Jet Global Airways Attorney at Law; Mr. Eddie Boyer, Director of Jet Global Airways, Chairman of National Hardware Store; Mr. Benjamin Bennett, Director of Chartwell Inc and Jet Global Airways, Houston, Texas and Guyana; Dr. Andrew Debidin, Director of Jet Global Airways and Executive Chairman of
Meditron Inc. Guyana, and Mr. Somaskaran Appavou, Regional Director – Africa at IATA, Former Head of Sales at Airbus, Former CEO of Air Mauritius Ltd, and Special Adviser to Jet Global Airways.

Jet Global Services, a two-year-old company, plans to begin flying next July using GullivAir’s state-of-the-art 269-seater Airbus A330-200 aircraft. The airline said each passenger would be allowed two 23 kilogramme check-in suitcases and eight kilogramme hand luggage, with additional capacity for cargo movement, catering to both leisure and business needs.

Flights will be to and from the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA), facilitating direct, non-stop flights to key international destinations, including Georgetown, and London, United Kingdom; Georgetown to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; twice weekly Georgetown to Toronto, Canada, and, Georgetown to New York, United States. The company said it was negotiating transit with Barbados, Tobago, Antigua, and St Lucia.

Well-known city businessman, Eddie Boyer, a director at Jet Global Services, said efforts were underway to acquire the software to book passengers.

Demerara Waves Online News was told that Jet Global Services expenses include the estimated US$200,000 bond with Guyana’s civil aviation body. The authority routinely asks airlines to provide a bond to bring relief to stranded passengers should there be protracted and unresolved difficulties.

Though several airlines such as the state-owned Guyana Airways Corporation, Tropical Airways, the local privately-owned GA 2000, EZjet Air Services, Universal Airlines, North American Airlines, Dynamic Airways and several others have either closed operations due to financial troubles or abandoned the Guyana route.

But Mr Boyer said Jet Global Airlines is poised to succeed because of new market opportunities and easier access to countries with a Guyana passport. “The market has expanded and people are travelling more now…The market is ripe for something like this,” he said. Conceding that the airline business was risky, he said Jet Global stood a good chance of doing well because it has a “more professional business model”.