The Government gives “Fly All Ways” approval to rejoin Guyana airspace
Fly All Ways aircraft.
Kaieteur News – It has been revealed that “Fly All Ways,” an airline from Suriname, has recently been approved to operate flights to and from Guyana. Speaking to Kaieteur News yesterday, the Director of the Guyana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA), Egbert Field, confirmed the endorsement.
He said the flights the airline is slated to operate will be between Paramaribo, Georgetown and Antigua; Paramaribo, Georgetown and Barbados; and Paramaribo Georgetown and Curacao.
The announcement was first made by Public Works Minister Juan Edghill during a press briefing on Friday at Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA). He was quoted as saying, “Fly All Ways out of Suriname will operate the Suriname route, Barbados route and Curacao route out of Cheddi Jagan International Airport,” in a report by the Department of Public Information.
The airline had been approved to operate flights in Guyana in 2016. However, its operation here was short-lived, as it pulled out in 2017. The company’s reason for leaving Guyana was that it was not receiving customer support.
Now that the airline is rejoining Guyana airspace, its history is worrying.
Kaieteur News had previously reported that Dilip Sarjoe, owner of Fly All Ways, was promised lucrative concessions to make Guyana one of its hubs, according to people familiar with the development. The Curacao Chronicle report noted that sources also said the development and concessions granted were exposed in secrecy and lacked transparency.
Further, to avoid Blue Wing luggage, its sister company, listed by the European Union (EU), it was registered as a separate entity.
It was reported that the Blue Wing had had many accidents, and had been consistently blacklisted by the EU. The company was completely banned from EU air in July 2010.
European Commission Vice President responsible for transport, Siim Kallas, made a harsh allegation on the company’s operations, saying, “We cannot afford to compromise on air safety. Where we have evidence that air carriers are not carrying out safe operations or where regulators are failing in their obligation to enforce safety standards, we must take action to guarantee safe air to our citizens when they travel. We stand ready to support those countries, which need and want to develop their technical and administrative capacity to guarantee the highest standards of safety of civil aviation. The Commission is working closely with the European Aviation Security Agency to further strengthen its efforts to provide technical assistance. “
In 2014, Fly All Ways acquired two of the Fokker 70s KLM to operate its planned regional routes from Paramaribo City Airport, Zorg en Hoop and the owner had promised the Guyana government to locate one of the 80-seat Fokkers in Georgetown. The Fokker 70s were also reported to have an average age of 20 years and were manufactured between the years 1993 and 1997.
Nevertheless, the company has already received approval for its flights to and from Georgetown, Guyana, but the above history remains of concern.