GEORGETOWN, Guyana, (DPI) – Guyana has signed an Air Services Agreement with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to promote and facilitate the expansion of international air services opportunities between the two countries.
The Agreement was signed in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on Monday by H.E. Saleh bin Nasser Al-Jasser, minister of transport and logistic services, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Bishop Juan Edghill, minister of public works.
The Agreement addresses matters pertaining to Grant of Rights; Designation and Revocation; User Charges; Recognition of Certificates and Licences; Tariffs; Commercial Opportunities; and Fair Competition and Environmental Protection, among other matters.
“Presently there is no direct flight between Guyana and Saudi Arabia, however, this Agreement puts in place the legal framework that opens market access for airlines to operate and enhance competitive air transport services, trade, and economic growth between the two countries,” said minister Edghill concerning the signing.
Minister Edghill further noted that through this Guyana-Saudi Arabia Air Services Agreement, the national airline of Saudi Arabia would likely explore air services not only to Guyana, but Latin America and the Caribbean, since the airline does not have a presence in this region of the world.
“The signing of this Agreement is in keeping with the government’s commitment of connecting Guyana with the rest of the world.”
“This Agreement also complements the more than 50 Air Services Agreements Guyana has established with other ICAO states for the development of the airlink among states,” minister Edghill added.
Saudia, the national airline of Saudi Arabia is the third-largest airline in the Middle East in terms of revenue, behind Emirates and Qatar Airways. The airline operates international flights to over 94 destinations in the Middle East, Africa, Asia, Europe and North America.
Guyana was invited by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to sign the Agreement and to also participate in the Future Aviation Forum which is currently being held in Riyadh, during the period May 9 -11, 2022.
The forum is seeking to shape the evolution of international air travel by uniting international leaders from the private and public sectors, international CEOs, and regulators, and have them openly discuss and put forward new solutions to grow and revolutionise the sector.
Among the key areas of discussion are: how to accelerate business recovery post-Covid through new thinking and increased collaboration, and showcasing new ways to boost and ensure sustainability across the aviation ecosystem.
Guyana and Saudi Arabia established formal diplomatic relations on February 22, 2012.
