President urges stakeholder cooperation as...
Cornerstone laying starts Ogle airport construction
By Mark Ramotar
Guyana Chronicle
September 18, 2003
THE much-anticipated commencement of the construction of the Ogle Airport Development Project, another very important step in the development of Civil Aviation in Guyana, has finally begun. When completed, the fully International Municipal Airport is expected to provide Guyanese with a convenient option to the Cheddi Jagan International Airport, Timehri, for hassle-free, safe and affordable travel both internally and to several locations within the Caribbean.
President Bharrat Jagdeo yesterday unveiled the cornerstone at a ceremony held at the Ogle Airport Complex, Ogle, East Coast Demerara, to formally mark the commencement of the airport's construction.
Last month, under a M.O.U. signed by Minister of Transport and Hydraulics, Mr. Anthony Xavier, on behalf of President Jagdeo, Ogle Airport Incorporated (OAI) agreed with Government on a plan to develop Ogle in two phases over the next five years.
The first phase will deal with all the mandatory safety improvements required by ICAO and will include a new 2,500-foot long runway parallel to the existing runway, a new terminal facility, development of the hard-standing aircraft taxi and parking areas, new and improved drainage, and improved facilities for customs, immigration, air traffic control and health and fire services.
Chairman of the Board of Directors of OAI, Mr. Michael Correia, said this phase is expected to be completed by the end of next year.
He said the second phase will convert the first phase terminal to domestic operations only and will extend the new runway to 4,000 feet and will provide for the construction of a full modern and international airport terminal on the northern side of the airstrip.
"We are projecting that this expansion will be completed three years after the completion of the first phase," he said.
According to him, this phased approach will reduce investment risk and allow for a more gradual and stable development plan.
OAI Investors are all well known businessmen with considerable experience in aviation operations and are fully competent to complete this project successfully.
He noted that three of the investors, himself, Mr. Beni Sankar and Mr. Yacoob Alli have built a number of airstrips all over the country while the other two investors, Mr. Anthony Mekdeci and Mr. Gerry Gouveia, have considerable technical aviation expertise.
"We will do a good job that all Guyanese can be proud of," the OAI Chairman asserted.
He admitted that all developmental projects in Guyana have their detractors and Ogle is no exception. "We hope that in the end most of these people will be convinced, as we are, that in the future, there will be a better Ogle Airport, than the one that presently exists," Correia said.
"Ogle is presently the hub of all domestic travel and medical emergency air transport out of the interior, processing about 50,000 passengers and 4,000,000 pounds of cargo per year, with a fleet of 34 aircraft," the Chairman disclosed.
He noted that the port-of-entry status, which will allow for operating hours from 6:00 am to 22:00 hrs at night, will cater for the regional traffic from Boa Vista, Brazil; Paramaribo, Suriname; Porto Ordaz, Venezuela; Barbados and Trinidad. According to him, it will allow for larger types of aircraft than it accommodates now, greater competition and greater selection of operators to choose from.
"There will be greater frequency of lights at more convenient times. It will boost business and tourist traffic in the region and support the development of the new CARICOM headquarters," he added.
"This development will benefit the surrounding community and the nation by creating more opportunities for doing business and more jobs to satisfy the demand for new services that will be created.
He said too that the airport will provide Guyanese a convenient option to the Cheddi Jagan International Airport for hassle free, safe and affordable travel. He further noted that the expanded airport is a vital part of the country's transportation infrastructure necessary for national development.
Noting that this project is a significant step in the development of civil aviation in Guyana, Correia also alluded to the continuation of Government's policy to entrust the development of the air transport sector in the hands of the private sector, as an acceptable and viable option to state ownership and control.
President Bharrat Jagdeo, in his very frank and realistic presentation at the ceremony (see other story tomorrow), commended the investors for having the faith, vision and perseverance and promised them his Government's full support for this venture. "I want us to see this development as an important part in the overall national plan for Guyana," the President said, while simultaneously assuring that the Government will continue to develop policies that are conducive to private investment.
"We supported this project because it is good for the country...and we will stand by you to make it successful," the Guyanese Head of State told the gathering. He urged cooperation among all stakeholders, noting that collaboration, not confrontation, should be the nation's watchword if it is to move forward to everyone's satisfaction.
Master of Ceremonies Mr. Kit Nascimento said the Ogle's development into an international and municipal airport could be described as "a time long since coming".
CARICOM Secretary General, Dr. Edwin Carrington, was also very ecstatic about this development, which he described as a "strategically significant occasion" of "critical importance to the Caribbean Community".
Also at the ceremony yesterday afternoon were former President, Ms. Janet Jagan; Opposition Leader, Mr. Robert Corbin; several Government Ministers and senior Government officials; members of the Diplomatic Community, including the U.S. and Brazilian Ambassadors and the High Commissioners of Britain and Canada; Chief of Staff of the Guyana Defence Force, Brigadier Michael Atherly; private sector officials; and a number of other specially invited guests.