Future plans of the company include an eventual expansion of flights to Brazil and Suriname.

Ms. Lisa Insanally of Travelspan said: "We see the possibility for Georgetown to serve as a gateway to North America, as well as Brazil. The first set of two weekly flights between December 1 and January 22 has been successful.

"One surprising fact we noticed, however, was the high number of one-way tickets from Georgetown to New York. It indicates that people are leaving Guyana, possibly because of the recent rise in crime", she said.

"During Christmas and Mashramani a lot of Guyanese return to their home country and families, while in the summer many people travel from Georgetown to the United States for vacation.

"That is why no regular flight schedule will be introduced as yet; we are focusing on the distinctive peak seasons."

Travelspan has been operating direct flights from Trinidad to New York for more than 12 years.

Guyenterprise, the company running Travelspan in Guyana, also set up a new company called `Access Brazil' to promote trade links between Brazil and Guyana.

"We are establishing links between Brazil and Guyana, providing transport, marketing and advertising through our contacts in both countries.