Kaieteur Runway extension project commissioned

The Kaieteur Runway Extension Project was today commissioned by President Dr Irfaan Ali and Minister of Public Works Juan Edghill.

The state-crafted project commenced on August 30th, 2022, under the leadership of Brigadier Gary Beaton (Project Engineer) and Dion Amsterdam (Senior Engineer at the Ministry of Public Works), both of whom died before its successful completion.

In recognition of their efforts and dedication during its commencement phase, the Extension project was dedicated to them.

The extension works were executed through an industrious and collaborative effort by the Guyana Defence Force and the Ministry of Public Works. This now sees the Kaieteur Runway having a total length of 3000ft

Some 120 troops from the GDF worked tirelessly to adapt to the conditions from start to end. Gratitude is also extended to the various stakeholders who were involved in the completion of the new 3000ft runway.

Minister Edghill reflected on the magnitude of work that was executed by the engineers and soldiers for the successful completion of the extended runway.

Special mention was made on the work of both the late Brigadier Gary Beaton of the GDF and Senior Engineer Dion Amsterdam of the ministry, both remembered as hardworking, solution driven individuals.

Further, Minister Edghill also highlighted the impact this extended runway will have for tourism to one of Guyana’s main attractions.

“I am happy that with 3000ft we can now bring in every other plane right now except the Beechcraft and I think we have to keep working towards that so that we can bring in bigger aircraft and we are going to continue that… Pilots who used to come here, they can now see how safer it is, they can see how much more they can do in terms of bringing costs down because the payload is better, they can manage,” he stated.

This is the first time, significant work was done since the construction of the initial 2000ft runway in the 1940s. The 1000ft extension will be replicated at a number of other airstrips across the country, through a collaborative approach with the Guyana Defence Force.