President Dr. Irfaan Ali has directed the Guyana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) to review all aviation laws and regulations, identify gaps, and ensure the country’s safety standards keep pace with its expanding aviation sector.
Addressing the Third Global RSOO and RAIO Forum for Aviation Safety, President Ali said investments in airports, connectivity and services must be matched by stronger regulation, oversight and enforcement.
“I’ve asked the Civil Aviation Authority to look at all our laws, all our regulations to identify the gaps and to ensure we are applying the highest standards,” the President said.
“And whatever we need to do to work backwards to reach those standards, we must invest in doing it so that we are at that standard.”
The directive comes as Guyana records substantial increases in passenger traffic and flight operations. According to figures presented by Ali, international flights increased from 3,170 in 2020 to 8,891 in 2025, while domestic passenger traffic rose from approximately 120,000 to 267,000 over the past five years.
Ali said this growth brings greater operational complexity and places additional responsibility on the institutions tasked with maintaining safety.
“Modern infrastructure and expanded services must therefore be accompanied by strong regulatory institutions, properly trained inspectors, rigorous certification, effective surveillance and a safety culture in which compliance is non-negotiable,” he said.
The President argued that the sector’s transformation would remain incomplete without an equally determined effort to strengthen its regulatory framework.
He linked the review to the ten-point aviation plan he outlined earlier this year, which includes upgrading air navigation and air traffic management systems, modernising regulatory standards and improving compliance with international aviation best practices.
As the economy expands, Ali said, increased movement of people, goods and investment through Guyana’s airports will place further demands on the sector.
He stressed that international partnerships and technical cooperation would be essential to meeting those demands, adding that Guyana could not develop its safety standards in isolation.
The country, he said, must draw on the expertise of the European Union and other international aviation authorities and institutions to strengthen oversight and keep pace with changing global practices.
Ali also warned that a strong safety record should never encourage complacency.
“A country or an airline can have an impeccable record stretching back for years; however, that record is not a permanent guarantee. Aviation is an unforgiving industry,” he said.
He cautioned that a serious incident could undermine confidence across the sector, raise questions about the country’s regulatory system and carry significant economic and reputational costs.
The President also identified training and staffing as critical components of aviation safety. He called for an assessment of regional and global workforce shortages, warning that insufficient pilots and overstretched aircraft could create safety risks.
Guyana is seeking an international partner to help establish a comprehensive aviation training hub covering areas such as safety, security, maintenance and pilot training, he said.
Ali maintained that the country’s ambitions for aviation must be supported by the personnel, institutions and safeguards needed to sustain growth safely.
