GUYANA’S NATIONAL AIRPORT, Cheddi Jagan International, experienced record passenger traffic this summer, with 34,796 arrivals reported in August. For the first eight months of 2017, arrivals rose by 7 percent. Guyana’s minister of public infrastructure, David Patterson, attributed the increase to hosting the Caribbean Premier League cricket tournament and stronger business travel.
To handle growing demand at this South American travel hub, the airport began a $150 million expansion. After spending the initial budget, the project required additional funding in May and sought support from The Export-Import Bank of China and the National Assembly to cover the remaining costs. The expansion, originally scheduled for completion in May, is now expected to finish in December.
The upgrade includes enlarging the terminal building and adding eight passenger boarding bridges to improve arrivals and departures, expanding the departure area, and lengthening the runway from 7,500 to 10,800 feet to accommodate larger aircraft.
Patterson said the airport will focus on strengthening connections within South America while also targeting legacy and low-cost carriers on North American routes. New York remains Cheddi Jagan’s largest market, but there has been recent growth in travel from destinations such as Cuba and Panama. Air transport is crucial to Guyana’s development, linking coastal population centers with more remote interior regions. Until 2010, Cheddi Jagan was the country’s only international airport; in that year, Ogle Airport received international status from the International Civil Aviation Organization and continues to serve as a domestic hub for flights to the interior.
Cheddi Jagan offers mainly domestic flights alongside international service to Toronto (YYZ), New York (JFK), and Miami (MIA). In September, Dynamic International Airways sharply reduced its flights to Guyana, cutting frequency from five weekly flights to just one. That reduction could prompt Caribbean Airlines, a major carrier on the Guyana–United States route, to raise fares. Other carriers serving U.S. routes include Fly Jamaica, Suriname Airways, and Dynamic Aviation.
Located on the banks of the Demerara River about 25 miles south of Georgetown, Cheddi Jagan began as a U.S. military air base in 1941 during World War II. It was named Timehri International Airport in 1969 and received its current name, Cheddi Jagan International, in 1997.