British Airways Begins Service Between London and Guyana

British Airways’ first flight between London Gatwick Airport and Guyana touched down on Monday evening expanding the airline’s footprint into the Americas. It also signals the first service between Europe and Guyana with a stop in St. Lucia in each direction.

Monday’s inaugural flight was met with a colourful reception of steel drums and dancers following the arrival of the aircraft. Government officials and other dignitaries were on hand to welcome the passengers and crew, which included British Airways Captain Marc Chan. Captain Chan’s father was born in Guyana and, like Marc, also a British Airways captain.

British Airways Captain Marc Chan said, “My father was a BOAC and British Airways captain from 1968 until 1999. He used to look up as a small boy from the jungle at the silver BOAC jets flying high above and dreamed of one day becoming a pilot. My father, Michael Chan-Choong, was the first Guyanese pilot in BOAC and one of the few ethnic pilots. More than 50 years later I am very proud to help launch the inaugural service to Georgetown with my co-pilot Alan Brooks who has Caribbean heritage. It will mark my first steps on to the land of my father and is one of the highlights of my flying career, which started 37 years ago in the RAF Air Cadets. I look forward to flying into Georgetown many more times.”

Ian Blackman, British Airways’ VP Airports LAtin America and the Caribbean said, “As the longest serving carrier connecting the Caribbean with the UK, our new service strengthens the links to the region and introduces even more travelers to the British Airways experience. We’re delighted to be supporting the growth of business and leisure travel to and from Guyana via St. Lucia.”

Minister of Public Works, Bishop Juan Edghillsaid, “I express my gratitude to the British Airways team for demonstrating confidence in Guyana and for providing linkages between London and Georgetown. This new venture will allow Guyanese easier access to the Caribbean, Europe, and Africa at affordable prices. The ongoing efforts to modernize the airport facilities are aligned with the Government’s vision to catapult our local aviation sector into new frontiers.”

Minister of Tourism, Industry and Commerce, Oneidge Walrond, said, “this is an exciting day for Guyana’s tourism sector because of the enormous opportunities for the Guyana/UK partnership. Connecting the world to Guyana remains a top priority for the Government of Guyana. Our pursuit of airline connectivity is part od a wider strategic economic objective to make Guyana a significant source market for business and leisure.”

Georgetown becomes British Airways’ 17th destination in the region. Flights between London and Georgetown will be operated by a Boeing 777 aircraft weekly on Mondays and Thursdays. The inaugural flight to Guyana comes one day after British Airways introduced a new service between London Gatwick and Aruba.

Wayne Farley

Wayne is an aviation safety consultant and publisher for GuyanaAviation.com who served as an Air Traffic Controller in two jurisdictions; Guyana and the Turks and Caicos Islands. Throughout his career, he has been blogging on air traffic management and other aviation matters.

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