Ready for take off
Editorial
The closing of a deal with the local consortium Aviation Investments yesterday whereby that local group will reopen the air service formerly provided by Guyana Airways Corporation from June l is good news. In the first place this is an ideal privatisation as the money has been put up by local businessmen. There will be a joint venture with the government in which the government will have three investors on the board of the new company, GAC 2000 Inc., but the businessmen will have control. They will use the next month and a half to put in place the necessary arrangements for staffing, here and at the overseas destinations, marketing the new airline and selling tickets through travel agents, and wet-leasing an aircraft from an American airline until they can secure their own aircraft. There is a lot to be done as the new C.E.O. Anthony Mekdeci and his team seek to build the image of a small but efficient airline. They will start with the benefit of enormous goodwill from Guyanese here and abroad. The provision of good and reliable service will solidify this support and enable the airline to consolidate and consider expansion in due course, perhaps through linkages of one kind or another with other airlines . A letter writer, Mr G.H.K. Lall, has proposed the introduction of a passenger bill of rights which would spell out in detail the kind of service a passenger is entitled to expect. For those battered customers suffering from years of delayed flights, luggage left behind and third rate treatment from the airline whenever that happened such a gesture would be a real confidence booster. The airline should make clear early on, for example, how much luggage each passenger is entitled to take and how it will deal with unavoidable delays in scheduled flights and other problems. Originally, staff will be kept to a minimum and recruiting will start shortly. Mr Yesu Persaud is expected to be the chairman and the board will include prominent businessmen Stanley Ming, Vic Oditt and Michael Correia. This is a major step forward by our local entrepreneurs, several of whom have experience with domestic air services. They will be aware that an international air service is a different kettle of fish and that the task before them will be challenging and exciting. They will also be aware of the problems faced by BWIA over the years as it struggled to survive and make a profit. Building an international airline is not easy and if more airlines start to come in (American Airline has been mentioned) competition could be stiff. But that is as it should be. The business is there and we believe our entrepreneurs have the energy and the talent to make this thing work. GAC 2000 will have the best wishes of all Guyanese as it takes to the skies seeking to set new standards for Guyanese business and to show what our private sector is capable of. 
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