Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA) has kept its position as the highest-ranked airport in Latin America and the Caribbean for passenger satisfaction, according to third-quarter 2026 results from the Airport Service Quality survey. The Cheddi Jagan International Airport Corporation (CJIAC) announced the ranking on Tuesday.

The survey is administered by Airports Council International and serves as a global benchmark for passenger satisfaction. It gathers responses from travellers at the terminal and covers more than 50 service indicators. CJIAC pointed to the overall travel experience, check-in and security processing, cleanliness, temperature comfort, signage and the courtesy of frontline staff.

The latest result follows the first quarter of 2026, when the airport ranked first in the Caribbean and second among 43 participating airports across the wider region, behind an airport in Mexico. The corporation now says it holds the top place regionally.

Ramesh Ghir, the corporation's chief executive officer, called the ranking a significant milestone for the whole airport community. He credited frontline employees, security officers, immigration staff and airline partners, and said CJIAC would maintain its service standards as international passenger numbers rise.

Deodat Indar, the Minister of Public Utilities and Aviation, said the result reflects continued government investment in aviation infrastructure and its aim of strengthening Guyana's position as a regional aviation hub. Earlier this year the government said the number of airlines serving the country had grown from five to 16 under the current administration. A business chamber covering Guyana and Suriname has reported that visitor arrivals rose by 22 per cent in 2025 and has projected about 550,000 visitors in 2026.

Management has outlined works intended to cope with that traffic. On the airfield, the runways and taxiways are being rehabilitated, and security infrastructure is being improved. Inside the terminal, boarding bridges are being modernised, capacity is being expanded and automated baggage systems are being introduced. A new terminal of about 150,000 square feet is under construction, according to earlier government statements.

The corporation also lists upgrades to executive lounges and commercial space, with hospitality developments taking shape around the airport. The Guyana Times reported earlier this year that plans include a new concession and duty-free zone and an administration building. Those elements bear directly on the factors the survey measures, since retail and lounge facilities contribute to how passengers rate their time in the terminal.

The ranking rests on traveller perception, so it records how passengers felt about their experience and does not measure runway performance or on-time departures. Surveys of this kind also reflect the mix of passengers at the time of sampling, and a quarterly result can move when the sample or the volume of traffic changes. That makes the continuing construction relevant. Work on a runway or a terminal can disrupt the services that passengers are asked to rate, and the next set of results will show whether satisfaction holds while the airport is a building site.

The airport's growth carries its own pressures. More airlines and more routes mean more passengers passing through check-in, security and immigration, the stages that the survey scores most closely. The corporation has tied its improvement programme to those pressures and presents the ranking as evidence that service has so far kept pace.

Neither CJIAC nor the ministry has said when the individual projects are due for completion, or what they will cost in total. Those details will determine how quickly the planned capacity arrives, and whether the airport can sustain its position as traffic continues to grow.