Orlando, Florida. July 3rd, 2015: Surinam Airways officially launched service with an inaugural non-stop flight, on July 2 between Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA) in Georgetown, Guyana, and the Orlando Sanford International Airport. The return flight left on July 3rd from Orlando Sanford International Airport to Cheddi Jagan International Airport in Georgetown, Guyana with continuing service to Johan Adolf Pengel International Airport in Paramaribo, Suriname.
This service will initially operate with weekly flights during July, August, and September; arriving on Thursday afternoons at 3:30 pm in Sanford and departing from Sanford International airport on a Friday afternoon at 1:30 pm. Surinam Airways will use a 737-300 aircraft with 126 seats. It will operate once weekly for three months, after which an evaluation of the operation will be done to ascertain the way forward, said the Airline’s Local Manager Rudi Westerdorg.
Currently, Surinam Airways offers two weekly nonstop flights from Georgetown to Miami. The airline’s officials are buoyant of the success of the new route since feasibility studies signal Guyanese travelers are desirous of better arrival and departure times and also visiting the US city at an affordable price. “We work closely with travel agents, so we have a good idea of the travelers’ needs,” said Rudi Westerdorg.
Minister of Public Infrastructure, David Patterson, who, along with Minister of Governance, Raphael Trotman was on the Inaugural flight, stated that the introduction of the new route is great and exciting news. He added, “This initiative is a clear indication of the confidence Surinam Airways has in the volume of passenger traffic in Guyana and by extension our aviation sector.” Minister Patterson also stated that he was impressed with CJIA’s management strategy to attract other airlines to fly the GEO route.
He noted that Guyana is truly the gateway to many other countries, and its potential in the aviation sector is boundless. To this end, he intends to actively engage CJIA’s Chief Executive Officer, Ramesh Ghir, on the untapped opportunities available to explore.
