President Irfaan Ali says Guyana is looking for a major international airline to make Terminal Two at Cheddi Jagan International Airport its hub. He made the disclosure at the opening of a global aviation safety forum in Georgetown and said the Ministry of Public Utilities and Aviation has been told to begin negotiations. No carrier has been named. Ministers have not indicated which airlines they plan to approach. 

The forum was organised by the International Civil Aviation Organization and the European Union Aviation Safety Agency and hosted by the Guyana Civil Aviation Authority. Representatives of almost 60 countries were expected. Mr Ali said the government wanted "someone who will take Terminal Two as their hub, their global hub". He said the ministry would speak to the large carriers that want a base there, including those with routes to West Africa or to South America linked to the Caribbean.

Terminal Two will be a 150,000 square foot building. Mr Ali turned the sod in August 2025, and the government has said BHM Construction, a company from the United Kingdom, will carry out the work. The current international terminal will also be redesigned.  Ashni Singh, the finance minister, has said the project is due for completion in the first quarter of 2028.

The case for the terminal rests on traffic. Mr Ali has said the growth in air travel has stretched the existing facilities beyond capacity and has led airlines, handling agents and international brands to ask for more room. At the sod-turning he described a hub as an achievable goal. “Mr Ali asked why Guyana should not become a hub if Miami could." he asked. The government's stated vision is for the airport to serve as a transit point for passengers moving between South America, Africa and North and Central America, as well as an arrival and departure point for Guyana itself.

Visitor and investor numbers have risen with the country's economic growth, which has been driven by oil production. The airport is one of several aviation projects under way. Deodat Indar, the aviation minister, has pointed to a new air traffic control tower complex and plans for two new international airports, at Lethem and Rose Hall. 

At the forum Mr Ali spoke of the country's position on the map, its infrastructure investment, its institutions, its partnerships and its spending on training. He described the task as one of positioning Guyana as a global provider of aviation services. Mr Indar told delegates that Guyana reached 63.41 per cent compliance with ICAO safety standards in a June 2024 audit, an improvement on its 2007 result.

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