GA 2000 could have second aircraft by end of month
Guyana Airways 2000 is considering a second aircraft and is currently negotiating a lease arrangement for a Boeing 757 to replace the A300 Airbus now in service. In a press release yesterday, acting General Manager of GA 2000, Nowrang Persaud, said the company's emphasis was on safety and reliability. He said he was "uncomfortable" with a "single aircraft airline." According to him, the second smaller aircraft would allow for an increase in flight schedules and avoid the inconvenience caused to passengers when it was necessary to take an aircraft out of service for unscheduled maintenance. Referring to the recent problems the airline faced last week when its lone carrier encountered mechanical difficulties causing it to be out of operation for a couple of days, Persaud said "maximum safety is our absolute priority and will always take precedence over any other consideration in fulfilling our commitments to on time flight schedules." He said officials from the company were continuing discussions with Ansett, Australia to lease a Boeing 757 to replace the A300 Airbus. Persaud said the Boeing 757 which was a smaller aircraft than the airbus, with a capacity of 195 passengers, should be in operation by the end of the month. The smaller aircraft is also expected to reduce overhead costs which have severely strained the company's finances in relation to the Airbus. GA 2000's flight to Toronto, which was scheduled to depart on March 28, was cancelled when a computer glitch was detected. Engineers from Nordstress arrived in the country and flew in parts to fix the airbus. It finally left on March 30 for Toronto. However, the aircraft encountered further difficulties in Canada and its return to Guyana scheduled for the same day was delayed. Persaud said the aircraft was taken out of service to have factory- required repairs to its hydraulics system. He said similar repairs have been found necessary on other airbuses in service worldwide. Persaud disclosed that specialist engineers from Airbus Industries, France were flown to Canada to effect repairs. He said the temporary withdrawal from service of the aircraft resulted in the company having to make alternative arrangements for its passengers from Toronto as well as passengers from Georgetown and New York. This was done through the charter of a Royal Airlines aircraft and the transfer of passengers which was possible as a result of code sharing with BWIA. Persaud said the Airbus returned to scheduled service on April 5. The acting general manager rebutted a television report on Wednesday on Capitol News which said the Airbus had been withdrawn from service in Canada because of financial difficulties. Persaud charged that no attempt was made to check the information before broadcasting it.
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