Deodat Indar, Guyana's Minister of Public Utilities and Aviation, used the CAPA Airline Leader Summit Latin America & Caribbean in Panama City earlier this month to invite LATAM and Arajet to examine the Guyanese market. He spoke on a panel about connectivity in Latin America and the Caribbean, alongside representatives of LATAM Airlines, Arajet, Iberia and the aircraft maker Embraer. 

Indar said only four major airlines served Guyana in 2020: American Airlines, Caribbean Airlines, Copa Airlines and Surinam Airways. He said the number is now 16 and that passenger traffic has risen by about 400 per cent from that baseline. Those figures are his own, though CAPA repeated them in a separate report on his presentation.

The government's 2026 Mid-Year Report offers further data. It recorded 226,465 visitor arrivals in the first six months of the year, the highest half-year total to date and 12 per cent above the same period in 2025. Daily flights between Guyana and Toronto began by the end of the period, and two more cargo carriers entered the market. The transport and storage subsector grew by 14.2 per cent. The report put economic growth at an estimated 33.3 per cent for the half-year, with the non-oil economy up 10.1 per cent, and projected full-year growth of 20.8 per cent.

Indar argued that this expansion means new airlines would not be competing for a fixed number of passengers. He also said travellers from Canada or the United States can struggle to find seats at busy times, with economy fares reaching around US$2,200. He blamed seasonal demand and a shortage of aircraft, and said extra capacity and routes would give passengers more choice.

He also asked executives to reconsider how passengers travel between the Americas and Africa, a journey that often runs north through European hubs. He pointed to potential demand from countries such as Nigeria and Côte d'Ivoire and suggested South America could act as a gateway. He did not announce a route between Guyana and Africa. LATAM's senior vice-president for network and strategy, Kamal Hadad, said the airline's Cape Town service had performed well enough to justify more frequencies.

Guyana is expanding Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA) to handle more traffic. Indar told the forum that a second terminal is being built and described it as about 160,000 square feet. Government project documents give a figure of roughly 150,000 square feet, with completion targeted for 2028. The Mid-Year Report says a €61.43 million financing agreement was signed with Banco Santander in June for the design and construction of the new arrivals terminal.

The main runway and Taxiway Charlie are due to be rebuilt. Plans also include a new baggage system, more scanners and cameras, extra aircraft parking and a relocated air traffic control tower, which is needed because the current layout limits expansion of the apron. Indar said earlier this year that arriving aircraft can sometimes wait for a parking space. Reports indicate aircraft movements rose from about 64,000 in 2020 to close to 100,000 by the end of 2025.

Two other airports are planned. One at Rose Hall/Canje in Region Six is intended to support industrial development in Berbice. The other, at Lethem in Region Nine, is meant to strengthen links between northern Brazil, Guyana and the Caribbean.

Indar acknowledged that infrastructure alone will not persuade airlines to commit aircraft, and that they must see demand that lasts. No carrier announced plans to serve Guyana in response to his remarks, and the source does not say how LATAM or Arajet replied.

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