Guyana Chronicle
May 19, 2001

THE future of the national flag carrier, Guyana Airways 2000 (GA 2000) will be known on Monday when the airline's Board of Directors is expected to make a definite decision, according to the company.

The airline Tuesday announced the temporary suspension of its operations because of a delay in wrapping up a deal to continue leasing the B-757 passenger jet it had been using.

A release issued Thursday stated that the Board has also confirmed the decision that the airline's operations will remain temporarily suspended.

The suspension has left several passengers booked to travel from Guyana to New York and vice versa via the carrier stranded.

But the airline says it is committed to making alternative flight arrangements for all of its passengers who are holding return tickets.

To this end, priority will be given to passengers both in Guyana and North America with return tickets and who are scheduled to fly within the next five days.

Those passengers are asked to visit the airline's offices to confirm the arrangements, while ticket holders with reservations after May 23, are asked to contact GA 2000's offices by phone in order to facilitate priority passengers.

According to the release, the airline is doing everything possible to transfer ticket holders on the first available flight opportunity to either BWIA or North American Airlines.

In cases where alternative flight arrangements are not possible on or close to the passengers' scheduled departure with GA 2000, the airline said it will consider refunding the unutilised cost of the ticket.

The airline expressed sincere apologies to all its customers for the inconvenience caused and assured that its reservations staff are doing everything possible to take care of them under very difficult circumstances.

Passengers can contact the airline's reservation offices on the following telephone numbers, Georgetown 226-4011-2; USA 718-523-2300 and 718-693-1600 and Canada on 416-485-8111-6.

Sources said violence from the Opposition protests that have stirred unrest since the March 19 elections may have made potential investors jittery about taking a major stake at this time in the privately owned-operated national flag carrier.

The airline had been operating a Boeing 757-200 aircraft leased from the Australian Ansett Worldwide Aviation Services and it said the temporary suspension of operations was due to delays in "consummating" a new lease arrangement with Ansett for the continued operation of the jet.

GA 2000, which replaced the former national carrier Guyana Airways Corporation (GAC) after it ceased to be a viable entity and was put up for privatisation, has had several ups and downs.

In January 2000, the airline acknowledged it was experiencing "difficult times" but was "not in crisis".

GA 2000 Chairman, Mr Yesu Persaud had said then too that the airline "can survive and it will survive" though acknowledging "we are going through difficult times as a result of market conditions."

The airline has also had to cope with the resignation of three of its top brass, the most recent Jamaican-born Chief Executive Officer, Mr Tom Scarlett who was an ex-BWIA General Manager in New York.

Operations launched to Miami and Trinidad folded and flights to New York and Toronto have been reduced with passengers complaining bitterly about frequently cancelled flight arrangements.

Aviation Investments, a consortium led by the Aircraft Owners Association of Guyana (AOAG) hold the majority shares, 51 per cent, and the government the minority shares in the airline.