GUYANA: WestJet Not Interested In Flying To Guyana

Canada’s second largest airline, Westjet, said that it has no plans to operate to Guyana, and distanced itself from a statement made by Wesley Kirton, director of the Roraima Group of Companies, at the Caribbean Aviation Handlers Association (CAHA) symposium in Guyana recently that the airline is looking to enter the Guyana market.

The airline said that it did not release or authorize Kirton’s statement apologising for the absence of the West Jet representative, Beverly Garcia- Cottrell due to a personal emergency:

“I am asked to convey to the meeting her regrets for not being here but to convey to the Guyanese authorities WestJet’s commitment to looking at serving the Guyana market and to advise that WestJet will send a delegation to Guyana shortly to initiate discussions with the authorities here.”

Kirton added that a one-on-one meeting had been set up for Garcia-Cottrell, a manager at WestJet, with the Guyana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA).

WestJet has denied all of this.

WestJet representative, Lauren Steward, said WestJet did not issue any statement – the statement that you have is from your government not WestJet. As I mentioned, and reconfirmed, WestJet does not have any plans to operate to Guyana.

When asked to contact Garcia-Cottrell, WestJet did not answer that part of the email.

There are, however, unconfirmed reports that a date for Garcia-Cottrell to meet with the GCAA has been scheduled.

Toronto and New York City have a large Guyanese diaspora community and airlift from these cities to Guyana is very limited and of poor quality.

Meanwhile, GCAA director general, Egbert Field said that, while other carriers have signaled their intent to enter the Guyana market, there have been no concrete decisions made.

“We do not disclose anything until an application is made. Then we know that they are serious,” he added.


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BAHRAIN: Qatari Jets Intercept Two UAE Civilian Planes In Bahrain

Qatari fighter jets flew near to two UAE-registered civilian aircraft passing through Bahrain, forcing the captain of one of the flights to alter course to avoid collision.

The incident was reported on Monday by the General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) of the United Arab Emirates, which warned of the dangers posed by the Qatari jets.

It described the development as an infringement of Bahrain’s airspace. The decision showed disregard for the safety of flight plans of aircraft as notified to the International Civil Aviation Organisation, it said.

A statement that this act was preceded by two similar actions has been filed with the ICAO.

In the earlier incidents, Qatar fighter jets harassed UAE military aircraft on three occasions, while its airforce also intercepted two Emirati civilian airliners on January 15, which led the UAE to file a complaint at the UN.

Brig Gen Helal Al Qubaisi of the Armed Forces said a Qatari jet approached a UAE F-16 on December 27 last year.

They claim the aircraft violated Qatari airspace. It didn’t, Gen Al Qubaisi said. They jeopardised lives.

The other two military incidents, on January 3 and January 12, involved a UAE Twin Otter aircraft and a C-130 cargo plane.

The UAE has lodged a complaint with the UN against Qatar after its jets intercepted two Emirati civilian aircraft while on routine flights to Bahrain.

The head of the Emirates’ General Civil Aviation Authority, Saif Al Suweidi, said at the time the first UAE civilian aircraft, identified as an Emirates flight, was intercepted at 10.30am and the second at 11am.

Both planes landed safely in the Bahraini capital and were able to complete their return flights without incident. Qatar denied the claims.

The complaint was in the form of a note submitted to both the UN Security Council president and the UN General Assembly president.

It said the interception was a threat to safety of the civil flights and a breach to the rules of international law.


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GHANA: Airport Union Workers On Strike, More Flights to Be Suspended

Unionized workers of the Ghana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) have threatened to resume their strike if government fails to hand over the entire 640 acres of land for the installation of their equipment.

The Lands and Natural Resources Ministry has allocated 20 out of the 640 acres of land at la Nkwantanan near Adenta for the installation of the equipment.

The Lands Minister, Nii Osah Mills after a meeting with the workers allocated the 20 acre land for the installation of the €600,000 equipment.

He told Joy News in an interview that the allocated land is adequate for the intended use.

But workers of the GCA disagree. They rejected the offer and in protest embarked on a strike Saturday to register their displeasure.

This resulted in the suspension of domestic flight operations for a couple of hours at the airport.

In an interview with Joy News, immediate past president of the Ghana Air Traffic Controllers Association, Michael Kwapong Atiemo said the allocated land is not enough.

He said 640 is what has been allocated for the installation of the equipment and "we will not accept anything less than 640 acres," he stressed.

The unionized workers are however to meet the Chief of Staff at the Flagstaff House on Monday towards finding a lasting solution to the issue.

GHANA: Airspace Dispute Between Togo & Ghana Resolved

Ghana and its eastern neighbours, Togo and Benin, have amicably resolved their differences over control of the Accra Flight Information Region (FIR).

The internationally designated Accra Flight Information Region (FIR) refers to the combined upper airspace (240 feet and above) and large portions of the Atlantic Ocean of Ghana, Togo, and Benin.

The Ghana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) has managed the Accra FIR on behalf of the three countries for decades. However, Togo and Benin in 2014 threatened to quit the Accra FIR over management and economic concerns.

Simon Allotey, Director-General of the GCAA, told the B&FT that the issue has been resolved and all parties are committed to the current arrangement.

“The original arrangement was that Ghana, Togo and Benin will co-manage the Accra FIR from Accra. Later on it was varied at the request of our Togolese and Béninoise brothers. They want to be part of the Accra FIR, which they are; but then the FIR will be segmented into two with Ghana managing the terrestrial airspace and the entire oceanic sector, while from Lomé they will manage the Togolese and Béninoise airspace.

“So far it is working very well. There is a lot of coordination between the Accra and Lomé centres. The arrangement has been operating smoothly since June 25, 2015.

“Revenue sharing has been resolved effectively. Basically, whoever controls a sector takes the revenue accruing from that sector. Togo and Benin bills the airlines directly for flights over their airspace and Ghana also does the same,” Ing. Allotey said.

The internationally designated Accra Flight Information Region (FIR), prior to the new arrangement, was managed by the GCAA on behalf of the three countries.

However, revenue accruing from management of the Accra FIR went into the coffers of GCAA; with no share of the proceeds paid to either Togo or Benin.

Air navigation charges for all international flights over four tonnes operating within the Accra FIR as at 2010 were charged US$0.75 per kilometre flown. The minimum charge within the Accra FIR is US$200 and a maximum of US$600.

Aircraft with weight between 4-20 tonnes are charged a US$200 flat-rate.

International aircraft movement to and from the Kotoka International Airport (KIA) at the end of last year stood at 21,269 — giving an indication of the revenue at stake.

International airlines operating flights to and from Accra initially raised concerns about fragmenting the Accra FIR, as they thought it would mean using three different control towers during flights within the region.

With the current arrangement, airlines which use the terrestrial airspace of all three countries will have to deal with two control towers.

CANADA: We Will Oppose More Fligths For Emirates, Etihad,Air Canada

Air Canada: We will oppose more fligths for Emirates, Etihad.

Air Canada started services to Dubai on Wednesday, five years after a diplomatic spat between the UAE and Canada over flights.

Air Canada will oppose any moves by Canada’s new Liberal government to grant more flights to Emirates and Etihad Airways, a senior Air Canada executive said, a day after the airline started flights to Dubai.

“There is enough capacity … between the two markets,” Duncan Bureau, Vice President of Global Sales at Air Canada said in an interview.

The number flights between the UAE and Canada has long been a disdain for Emirates and Etihad, who want more access beyond the three weekly flights their each allowed to operate to Toronto.

Canada’s October 19 election that saw the Justin Trudeau-led Liberal party voted into government has raised hopes the two countries will be able renegotiate the allocation. UAE General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) Director General, Saif Mohammad Al Suwaidi, said on October 22 that he plans to discuss “the requirements of our carriers” with the new government.

But Bureau said Air Canada will “absolutely” make sure Canada’s new government knows it opposes any more flights for the UAE carriers. “The capacity that is currently being deployed is more than adequate to service the true demand,” he said.

Tensions over the flights broiled over in 2010 with Canada losing its military base in the UAE and visa restrictions being imposed on Canadians. The diplomatic spat was widely perceived to have ended in 2013 when the two countries’ Foreign Ministers met in Abu Dhabi and the visa restrictions were lifted.

Air Canada started three weekly flights to Dubai on Wednesday with the airline flying a Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner to Dubai International for the first time ever. Brunei flag carrier Royal Brunei has flown the smaller 787-8 to Dubai since 2013.

Bureau said the airline expects to make return on invested capital “north of 15 per cent” on the Toronto-Dubai route.

Air Canada is hopeful 20 to 30 per cent of passengers on the route will be from hub traffic feeding from cities across Canada and second tier American cities like Cleveland, Pittsburgh and Denver. The UAE is home to an estimated 40,000 Canadians.