Arrivals at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA), Timehri for August 2017 set an unprecedented record of 34,796 passengers, surpassing the 2012 figure of 33,367.
Additionally, arrivals for the first eight months this year rose seven percent compared to the corresponding period in 2016, a release from the CJIA Corporation said yesterday.
The rise, the release said, can be attributed to the Guyana leg of the Caribbean Premier League cricket tournament and a number of entertainment activities held during the month; increased tourist arrivals and additional business travel due the oil and gas and mining sectors.
“Overall, 2017 is another strong year for us with business and tourist traveling demand levels steadily increasing due to the sound business policy and enabling environment created by our government,” said Minister of Public Infrastructure, David Patterson in the statement.
He added that the Government continues to pursue several carriers to assist with the additional passengers.
“High on the list of priorities is a carrier to ply the South American/Georgetown market and both Legacy and Low Cost Carriers for the North American Market,” the Minister added.
While New York remains the largest market, there has been an upsurge in other destinations such as Cuba and Panama, the release noted.
