Today, Civil Aviation professionals and stakeholders in Guyana join with their colleagues in 190 other Member States of the International Civil Aviation Organisation in observing International Civil Aviation Day 2013.
International Civil Aviation Day is observed on the 7th December of each year to commemorate the signing of the Convention on International Civil Aviation (or better known as the Chicago Convention) which was signed in Chicago, USA on the 7thof December 1944.
The International Civil Aviation Organisation celebrated the first International Civil Aviation Day in 1994 in recognition of its 50th Anniversary and in 1996, the United Nations General Assembly passed a resolution recognising the 7thof December as International Civil Aviation Day.
The purpose of the global celebration of International Civil Aviation Day is to generate and reinforce worldwide awareness of the importance of International Civil Aviation in the social and economic development of States and the role of the International Civil Aviation Organisation in promoting the safety, efficiency and regularity of international air transport.
This year’s International Civil Aviation Day has as its theme “Evolving to meet the challenges of 21st Century Air Transport”.This theme recognises the significant re-evaluations of the International Civil Aviation Organisation and the Aviation Sector as a whole undertaking, as aviation seeks to forge wider consensus and practical strategic planning to address its imminent challenges.
Some of the challenges which the Guyana Civil Aviation Authority recognises as existing locally include our ability to respond to issues which deal with Aviation Safety, Air Traffic Management, Economic Regulations for both Domestic and International Operations, Reliable and adequate International Air Transportation Services Aviation Security and Modernisation of our Airport Facilities. Additionally, we are also faced with the challenge of the need to strengthen our institutional capacity and most important to recruit additional staff and provide specialised and relevant training for our qualified staff members.
Recognising these immediate challenges are fine, however, the obvious question is what is being done to respond to them and also to evolve (or as it is defined develop gradually) to meet the future challenges of 21st Century Air transport.
Personally in Guyana we may have been too slow in reacting to the dynamics of the International Civil Aviation community with respect to these issues. Since November 1993 we were aware of the fact that Guyana was not in conformity with ICAO Standards and Recommended Practices.
Today, Guyana must undergo the International Civil Aviation Organisation Universal Safety Oversight Audit, which comprises regular, mandatory, systematic, harmonized safety audits. This comprehensive system approach for the conduct of safety oversight audits have to maintain as core elements the safety provisions contained in:
Annex 1 – Personnel Licensing
Annex 6 – Operations of Aircraft
Annex 8 – Airworthiness of Aircraft
Annex 11 – Air Traffic Services
Annex 13 – Aircraft Accident and Incident Investigation
Annex 14 – Aerodromes
From what I heard and have been told, the ICAO Universal Safety Oversight Audit is truly comprehensive and much more thorough than the previous one.
Similarly, and even before then we knew it was not wise for Guyana as a country to depend solely on foreign based airlines to provide crucial scheduled and non-scheduled air services to and from Guyana. For during my brief sojourn in the aviation sector I have seen over twenty-five airlines come and then leave the Guyana market. Some were scheduled carriers such as British Overseas Airways Corporation/British Airways, Pan American World Airways, Air France, Royal Dutch Airlines (KLM), Varig Brazilian Airlines, Cruzeiro do Sul, Aeropostal, Cubana, Dutch Antillean Airlines and most recently Delta Airlines. Other were non-scheduled Airlines such as Guysprint, Tropical Airways, Guyamerica Airways and Universal to mention just a few.
Therefore, for those of you who will be the future leaders and decision makers in our aviation sector, you must always remember the advice of Dr, Bing Cheng author of ‘The Law on International Civil Aviation; and I quote ‘ Air Transportation is an instrument of one’s Foreign Policy’ end of quote. Guyana’s air transport priorities and needs do not always coincide with the priorities and needs of others State or their airlines.
Then there is the issue of our most valuable resource, that is, our human resource. Gone are the days of Government sponsored students gracing the halls and corridors of such aviation institutions as Air Services Training School in Perth, Scotland or Cranfield School of Management in Bedfordshire, England or Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach, Florida, USA. Tonight, I would like to salute my fellow aluminus of Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University here tonight who have all provided yeoman service towards the development of civil aviation in Guyana. Captains Crawford, Murray, Marshall Paul, and recently deceased Captain Fazel Khan.
Therefore, although the word ‘Evolve’ may mean ‘develop gradually, we in Guyana cannot develop civil aviation gradually. We have much catching up to do and therefore we must embark on an accelerated programme to bring our country’s civil aviation system to internationally accepted standards.
So, what you can and should expect from the Guyana Civil Aviation Authority in 2014 and beyond in responding to current and future challenges of air transport in Guyana.
Briefly, I wish to identify some issues to be address in 2014 by the GCAA:
A. Leadership in the development of a National Aviation Policy for Guyana which will provide the necessary guidance for the orderly efficient development of civil aviation in Guyana. The proposed National Aviation Policy should chart the way forward for Guyana to respond to the many issues and challenges that are current and those which will confront the Air Transport in the coming years.
B. Review of the Civil Aviation Act 2000 to address Aviation Safety (both Airworthiness and Flight Operations oversight) and Aviation Security issues for which the Act may be silent. Other issues to be reviewed within the Act are International and Domestic Economic Regulations, with emphasis on non-scheduled and general aviation operations Aircraft accident and incident investigation and bilateral Air Services Agreements.
C. Strengthening the institutional capacity of the Guyana Civil Aviation Authority in order that its relationship with stakeholders is efficient and effective. This in turn should ensure an improved safety record, which requires substantial investment in air space and air traffic management to cope with the present and future growth of air traffic.
D. Modernisation of our international airports (Cheddi Jagan International and Ogle International) and develop our hinterland airstrips for larger aircraft.
E. Implement and enforce general Aviation legislating and regulating to improve oversight of the domestic operations
F. Training. In order for us to have a professional Agency which is managed by professionals we at the Guyana Civil Aviation have to embark upon a comprehensive training programme at all levels of the Authority. Currently, Members of the Authority Board of Directors are seeking to identify those members of staff who possess University degrees and are capable of successfully undergoing specialize learning in areas such as:
- Air traffic management
- Aviation Security
- Aviation Safety
- Air Transport Economics
- Air Airworthiness and Air Carrier Certification
- Air Law
G. As you may be aware, the Guyana Civil Aviation Authority functions both as a regulator and a promoter of Air Transport in Guyana. Therefore we are and must promote air transport within Guyana and from Guyana to the world.
Therefore our Air transport Management Directorate will need to expand and deal with the legal and economic aspect of civil aviation.
In conclusion, I wish thank the Minister responsible for Civil Aviation, the Directors, Management and staff of the Guyana Civil Aviation Authority, the aviation stakeholders and all the other agencies and individuals who contribute each day to preserve and develop this industry we all love and know as Civil Aviation.
Thank you.
