Barbados is lending Guyana 30 portable runway lights to facilitate night landings at the Cheddi Jagan Internationl Airport, Timehri by tomorrow while the engineers who installed the current lighting system are expected back to resolve the current problems.
Transport Minister Robeson Benn told reporters at a press conference yesterday that while government has been trying to source replacement lights from the UK, Australia and elsewhere, Barbados has offered its assistance. The lights are expected sometime today. The airport has since issued a notice informing airlines that night landings remain suspended for last night and today and every effort was being made to restart operations.
The lights are solar-powered and together weigh 1000 lbs. Benn said this type of light which is approved by the International Civil Aviation Organisation costs US$2,500 each but those the airport has in stock cost about 300 to 400 pounds sterling each. He said as far as he knows Guyana is only paying the freight costs for the lights from Barbados. Meanwhile, government is exploring whether it will procure 60 portable lights but the delivery time is crucial.
The lights will complement the airport’s 30 in stock and will facilitate night time landing for larger aircraft. The portable lights are of a high standard and are uni-directional, the minister said. He reiterated that heavy lightning was the reason that the lights have malfunctioned and though the country is experiencing normal June-month weather, heavy thunderstorms had occurred until July month-end. Benn pointed out that on July 29, in particular, staff at the terminal building had panicked and quickly evacuated after a significant lightning strike which damaged the circuits of the lighting system and other operational facilities including radio and communication equipment and computers.
He said from time to time engineers have managed to restart the system using spares but this has since been exhausted. They are now trying to identify the damaged sections of the cable. Additional lights, connectors and other attachments have to be imported to repair the defective system. As regard the bigger issue of earthing at the airport Benn said government and the Guyana Telephone and Telegraph Company and the Guyana Power and Light are working on putting additional systems in place to ensure that there is a greater buffer to cater for similar events.
In response to a question about using the portable runway lights from the Ogle Airport Incorporated to facilitate night landings at Timehri, Benn said those lights did not have the intensity needed to allow larger passenger aircraft to land. “They must have certain specifications and those ones would have to be weighted down since they could easily be blown away or vacuumed up by the engine of the larger aircraft,” he said.
Meantime, Caribbean Airlines continues to be the most affected airline. Yesterday Country Manager Carlton DeFour told Stabroek News that following the issuing of a formal notice by the airport the airline has made alternate plans. He said passengers in-transit in Trinidad will stay in that country and be flown to Guyana during the early morning hours. At the same time DeFour said he hopes the situation is remedied soon. (Heppilena Ferguson)
still saying that some heads should’ve been rolling already! The silence of the higher ups is quite deafening!
Haven’t you noticed that not a single minister or higher ups is ever sanctioned or dismissed by this regime. Regardless of the bungling and mismanagement under their watch, it’s business as usual.
No wonder the country is in such a state of decay!
Trinidad lend we Helicopter now Barbados lending lights.Why somebody don’t lend we a “Good Government????”
Is more “benching” fuh we!!!
Since we know that the GOG boast an annual surplus in the billions from VAT- what then is their excuse for not maintaining it’s aging pre colonial infrastructure?
Expect even more eye-pass from the Bajans now.
Certainly – can just imagine
aww sandy, don’t say that about them.
Afterall, they are helping out this inept regime that bungles everything they touch.
We seem to forget that a while back during the Caribbean Military exercise Tradewinds,when the Barbados Coast Guard flagship the Trident was out of commission , the Guyana’s Essequibo had to play taxi to the Barbados Coast Guard. Both countries do come to the aid of each other,without making a song and dance of it.
thanks barbados for helping my country (AGAIN) this time with runway lights,
please continue to help us with jobs , your little tiny island with generous hands.
Ooooh this just sucks!!!!!!!!!!
Shameful indeed… little Barbados have extra lights to help out.
When will this regime wake up and make Guyana a place to be proud of???
Thanks Barbados so that plane loads of Guyanese can land and not return to Barbados. Caricom sisterly relations at show.
As usual this regime is flying by the seat of their pants… always working on the situation, yet never fully resolving the issue.
Why is maintenance a forgotten part of systems in Guyana?
Why aren’t infrastructure upgraded on a periodic basis?
Why does it take a castrophe and the shaming of the country before this regime acts?
Cronyism is the cause of this.
Our government have no pride. Beg and borrow policy.
They changed the name of the airport to honor their own, instead of the ameriandians. How approprate, that the PPP incompentence is associated with its founder. The lord acts in strange ways
Cheddi Jagan International Airport…lol….SHOCKED and AWED and rolling in his grave by now.
Mash u brakes comrade.Burnham was a co founder of the PPP.I am shocked by your comments.Obviously history was not your strong subject.
an international airport with not enought lights on hand to replace blown lights. not enough money on hand to order new lights. and not enough foresight on staff to deal with this in a timely fashion
way to go robeson and co.
i tek the extras to light up me back yard.it look cool
Who does the inventory for the Ministry of works needs to be replaced I cannot see why items like these are not stocked, how come Barbados was able to be accomdating with loaning thirty lights, because they are ahead of the game, I really cant see how these people feel comfortable going abroad to various functions to represent Guyana as leaders and having issues such as these along with the multitude of others hanging over their heads. It shows that they did not take up these offices for the benefit of the country but to be self serving it is a damn shame!!
There is no Ministry of Works as was previously known! Far as I see it is only a clearing house for “contractors” who do the work previously done by the Ministry.