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 issued 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 entrance into force of this agreement.”
Indians are the largest ethnic group in Guyana, making up nearly 40% of the population as per the 2012 census. By signing the agreement with Guyana, a framework for the delivery of air services between the two nations will be made possible. Air services agreements have been negotiated with numerous nations to open the door for international air connectivity in light of the expanding aviation market and events like the liberalisation of the aviation sector in India.
The air services agreement, according to the ministry, establishes the legal framework for air operations between two countries and is based on the principles of nationality of carriers, national sovereignty of nations, and reciprocity in terms of commercial opportunities for each side’s designated airlines. There isn’t currently an aviation services agreement (ASA) between the governments of Guyana and India. The International Civil Aviation Convention has both Guyana and India as signatories (Chicago Convention).
On December 6, 2016, representatives from 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 enable improved and seamless connectivity while giving carriers on both sides business opportunity, it was said.
