The dispute over the renaming of the Ogle Airport to the Eugene F. Correia International Airport (EFCIA) shows no sign of abating even as the Private Sector Commission (PSC) yesterday urged government to carefully consider its decision. “We urge the Government to consider carefully the views of the majority of operators at Ogle Airport in the interest of all concerned…” a statement from the PSC said.
A majority of the operators are against the renaming which has been scheduled for May 9th. They say it will give an unfair advantage to the Correia group which is a major player in the company running the airport.
A bid in the high court yesterday by the National Air Transport Association (NATA), which comprises nine aggrieved airport operators, to have the renaming halted was unsuccessful.
The nine operators are Air Services Limited (ASL), Roraima Airways, Hinterland Aviation, Oxford Aviation, Phoenix Airways, Domestic Airways, Jags Aviation, Wings Aviation and Hopkinson Mining Aviation. The group will today hold a press conference where they will air their concerns.
This newspaper understands that the signage for the rebranded airport has already been completed. The controversy erupted on September 17 last year when President David Granger suggested the renaming while commissioning an aircraft for the Correia Group’s Trans Guyana Airways. Granger has said that he believed if the airport was renamed EFCIA, it would be paying tribute to the late aviator.
However, NATA immediately objected and put on record that they believed the name would give Trans Guyana Airways, which is owned by the Correia Group, a marketing advantage as the Correia name is linked to that operation.
Trans Guyana’s Chief Executive Officer Michael Correia recently told Stabroek News that he feels hurt that the companies have made the issue one that targets his company and that they have failed to see the rationale behind the airport’s renaming.
Correia, who is also Chairman of the Ogle Airport In (OAI) Board, said, “This is a Government of Guyana initiative, it is not an Ogle Airport initiative, and it has never been put forward by OAI. It is an initiative by government put to the OAI and approved. There are members of NATA on OAI, remember that. They also want it to seem like it was pushed by the Correia Group and personalized it. That is not the truth… The government has listened to both sides of the argument and obviously the government took action,” he said.
Mockery
One of the founders of NATA, Gerry Gouveia, who also owns the Roraima Airways operations told Stabroek News yesterday that the decision, made solely by President Granger, to rename the airport was a mockery of democracy and should have been taken to parliament.
He charged that not only was Eugene F. Correia not well known in the aviation sector but that he had made no significant contribution to the aviation industry.
“It’s a travesty when one of our international airports could be renamed against the wishes of 90 percent of the stakeholders. More significantly being named after a relatively unknown person whose place in history is known only to a small clique of people,” Gouveia said.
“There is no record of him being a professional aviator. This renaming should have gone to parliament since it’s an international airport.
This is not a simple domestic small airport. Naming this airport after any person is to brand the country,” he added.
During last week’s airing of his weekly television programme, President Granger fired back at NATA calling them “small minded” and petty.
“I had put the suggestion to the Ogle International Airport Board several months ago. This is because research which has been done indicated that Mr. Correia, I think he must have been born well over 100 years ago. He is dead…was a distinguished minister of the government he was a minister of communications responsible for aviation. He was a pilot. He made contributions in the national assembly, in those days it was called the Legislative Assembly, to aviation to guyanization of the public service. I would say his career was stellar. He was a national awardee. So there is no doubt in my mind that he is a deserving person, after whom the airport should be renamed,” Granger said.
“Controversy arose, not because of the character of Mr. Correia, but because of the small- mindedness of persons who know nothing of Mr. Correia or what he has done for this country, and that is very disturbing, that you know, petty-minded people who don’t know the man, try to prevent the airport from being named after him and I was very disappointed, at a personal level, at the malicious behaviour of those persons. I was very very disappointed. Anybody who looks at the career of Mr. Correia could not but come to the conclusion that this is a person of whose record we should be proud and there is no doubt in my mind that he is a fit and proper person after whom the airport should be named,” he added.
The president acknowledged that he did meet some of the persons who objected to the renaming but said he continues to be disappointed.
“I listened to the criticism and I did meet with some of the persons who objected…but I continue to be disappointed that they would put personality in front of nationality. That they would put petty personal interests in front of the national interest.
“It is my view that in the national interest that the airport be named after a son of the soil who has done a lot for Guyana”, Granger asserted.
Adding its voice to the debate yesterday, the PSC said “The renaming of the airport in favour of a former public official of the same name as that of the Chairman of the Ogle Airport Inc. will add to the already filled vessel of complaints regarding anti-competitive behaviour of the Board of Ogle Airport Inc. (one and the same with a company operating at the Airport in direct competition with nine (9) other operators.)These operators publicly and privately expressed their opposition and dissatisfaction with the re-naming of the airport”.
Gouveia, while pointing out his organisation’s qualms at the renaming doesn’t think that much will come from the bid to reverse the decision. “The President has spoken,” he said.
