The signing of the aviation services agreement between India and Guyana was approved on Wednesday by the Union Cabinet, which is presided over by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The Ministry of Civil Aviation released a statement stating that “the Air Services Agreement shall enter into effect after the exchange of diplomatic notes between the parties certifying that each party has completed the requisite internal procedure for the entrance into force of this agreement.”
As the largest ethnic community in Guyana, totaling nearly 40% of the population as of the 2012 census, Indians have a major presence there.
A framework for the provision of air services between the two nations would be made possible by the signing of the agreement with Guyana.
Air services agreements have been negotiated with numerous nations to open the door for global air connectivity in light of the expanding aviation market and changes like the liberalisation of the Indian aviation sector.
According to the ministry, the air services agreement establishes the legal framework for air operations between two nations and is based on the concepts of nationality of carriers, national sovereignty of nations, and reciprocity in terms of commercial opportunities for the designated airlines of each side.
As of right now, the governments of Guyana and India do not have an air services agreement (ASA).
The Convention on International Civil Aviation has India and Guyana as signatories (Chicago Convention).
On December 6, 2016, representatives of the governments of India and Guyana met in Nassau, Bahamas, as part of the ICAO Air Services Negotiations event, where both nations had initialled the text of an ASA for regularly scheduled air flights between the two nations.
The new air services agreement between India and Guyana will create an atmosphere that will allow for improved and seamless connectivity while giving carriers on both sides business opportunities, it was said.
