The Guyana Government has prohibited the Venezuelan state-owned airline, Conviasa from flying here as it had failed to lodge the required bond with aviation authorities.
The Government’s actions caused 42 passengers to be stranded for some hours at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA), Timehri yesterday.
Minister of Public Infrastructure, David Patterson who has responsibility for transport told Stabroek News yesterday that the airline never lodged a bond as required and had owed the CJIA and the Guyana Civil Aviation Authority money.
He said that once the airline lodged the bond it would be free to travel into the country. Patterson said the airline’s bond was $20M. The Minister allowed a charter flight to enter the country to pick up the stranded passengers yesterday afternoon. It is unclear why the airline was permitted to fly into Guyana without lodging the bond. Zulphikar Mohamed, who was the Director of the Guyana Civil Aviation Authority at the time the airline started operations, declined to comment on the issue when contacted by Stabroek News.
Conviasa started travelling to Guyana a year ago. It would usually enter the country every Saturday. The airline does not have an office in Guyana and customers would purchase their tickets through Roraima Airways.
Airlines are required by the Government to lodge bonds which would be tapped were the airlines to encounter problems which left passengers stranded.
