Licences have been granted to Universal Airlines to operate a scheduled charter service to North America and Suriname from Guyana and to International Cargo Charter to operate a cargo service between Guyana, New York and Toronto.

Cabinet Secretary, Dr Roger Luncheon announced the approval of the licences, when he briefed the media following yesterday's Cabinet meeting.

The main investors in Universal Air, according to Dr Luncheon, were New York-based Guyanese. But he had no more details about their names except to say that they were the Singhs. Stabroek News understands they operate a chain of franchised seafood restaurants.

The newly-licensed airline will operate daily flights between Guyana and New York via Port-of-Spain and Guyana and Toronto via Port-of-Spain and Miami.

Dr Luncheon said that as a charter service, Universal Air was required to lodge a bond which would be used to the benefit of ticketed passengers if the airline failed to meet its obligation to take them to and from their destinations.

He undertook to ascertain from Works Minister, Anthony Xavier, whether the bonds lodged by charter services could be used to repay non-travel obligations ahead of refunds to passengers. Dr Luncheon's undertaking was in response to assertions that in the past passenger claims were superseded by other obligations the airlines had failed to meet.

International Cargo Charters will be operating its service in competition with Laparkan and Amerijet which offer services to North America. Dr Luncheon did not say who its principals were.

Meanwhile, Dr Luncheon said that the response to the government's invitation for expressions of interest in rights to 14 routes between Guyana to North America, the Caribbean and Suriname had not been brought to the attention of Cabinet.

And in a related development, Eldorado Air expects to obtain a operating licence within another two weeks, according to sources close to the airline. Eldorado Air was originally registered as Air Guyana but changed its name after it was discovered that a local air charter service had already registered under that trade name.