Mr. Castelen, speaking during a reception on Friday, which was held at the Johan Adolph Pengel Airport, Paramaribo to mark the inaugural flight, said the decision taken by the airline’s management to provide a service between the two countries is important because it indicates that there is confidence in the business community. That is what both governments are trying to achieve, he pointed out.

“ …If people cannot commute or communicate or move themselves or goods from one place to another, there are missing opportunities to develop,” he noted.

The Minister said, the airline has taken a bold step and its confidence is providing one more opportunity for people to meet across borders.

The Universal Airline 767 Boeing, which landed at the Johan Adolph, Pengel airport, at 10:00 hrs after a 45-minute flight from Guyana, remained on the ground for one hour before returning to Cheddi Jagan International airport Timehri to collect passengers. The aircraft then headed for the USA.

The weekly flights will enable passengers from Suriname to travel from Suriname to Fort Lauderdale, Florida where there is a significant Surinamese migrant population.

Minister Castelen, in his remarks, noted that civil aviation is now under pressure because of the events of September 11, 2001 in the US and health issues like the possible spread of SARS by persons travelling across the globe.
He said that in order to address these problems, extra financial resources have to be pumped in to the aviation industry to ensure the safety and security of passengers.

Passengers of the Universal Airline inaugural flight arriving at the Johan Adolph Pengel airport, Paramaribo.
Commenting on the relations between Suriname and Guyana, the Minister said the governments of both countries have the will to cooperate.

“The tunnel is being created from both sides where people know each other at all levels, so we hope that we will meet each other somewhere in the middle so we will have a shorter time to improve the cooperation and use the fruits coming out of it,” he said.

Guyana’s Ambassador to Suriname, Karshanjee Arjun, who also attended the reception, said the flight marks another milestone in the history of aviation in Suriname following the recent US Federal Aviation Authority’s (FAA) favourable remarks in recent treaties signed by the government on heightened security measures.

He said security in the aviation industry became paramount since the September 11, 2001 events in the United States.

Arjun said there is great potential for strengthening the bonds of friendship between Guyana and Suriname and urged those involved to re-double their efforts to arrive at early solutions to the differences that confront the two countries.