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Cheddi Jagan International Airport
IATA: GEO ICAO: SYCJ WMO: 81002
Summary
Airport type	Public
Owner	Government of Guyana
Operator	Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA) Corporation
Serves	Georgetown, Guyana
Location	Timehri
Elevation AMSL	95 ft / 29 m
Coordinates	06°29′54″N 58°15′14″W / 6.49833°N 58.25389°W / 6.49833; -58.25389
Website	www.cjairport-gy.com
Map
SYCJLocation in Guyana
Runways
Direction Length Surface ft m 06/24 11,023 3,359 Asphalt 11/29 5,003 1,525 Asphalt
Statistics (2019)
Passengers 657,433 Passenger change 4%
Source: DAFIF

Cheddi Jagan International Airport (IATA: GEO, ICAO: SYCJ), formerly Timehri International Airport, is the primary international airport of Guyana. The airport is located on the right bank of the Demerara River in the city of Timehri, 41 kilometres (25 mi) south of Guyana's capital, Georgetown. It is the larger of the two international airports serving Georgetown with the other airport being the Eugene F. Correia International Airport.

History

The United States obtained rights to locate military facilities in British Guiana as part of the Destroyers for Bases Agreement with the United Kingdom in 1941. On 14 June 1941, the first United States Army forces arrived to survey land for a bomber airfield near Georgetown.

Atkinson Field was built 28 miles (45 km) from Georgetown on 68 acres (28 ha) of land formerly known as Hyde Park, on the Demerara River. The forest was cleared and hills were levelled and a long concrete runway was constructed. On 20 June 1941, the airfield officially opened with the activation of a weather station. The station was named after Lieutenant Colonel Bert M. Atkinson, a United States Army Air Service World War I aviator. Colonel Atkinson was the commander of the 1st Pursuit Wing on the western front in 1918. Colonel Atkinson retired from the Army in 1922 after a distinguished career and died on 27 April 1937.

The mission of the station was the defense of the colony against German U-boats. The airfield was also a major staging point for American aircraft crossing the Atlantic Ocean heading to the European Theatre on the South Atlantic transport route. Aircraft supplied to the British forces by the United States were flown to Atkinson where they were turned over and ferried to North Africa. With the discovery of bauxite deposits in northeast Brazil in 1943, the mission of the airfield was expanded to protect the coastline of northeast South America and prevent any submarine landings by Axis forces on the continent.

United States Army Air Forces 430th Bombardment Squadron 9th Bombardment Group was assigned to Atkinson field from 4 November 1941 to 31 October 1942 flying anti-submarine sorties in Douglas B-18 bombers. The 430th was replaced by a detachment of the 35th Bombardment Squadron (25th Bombardment Group) from 1 November 1942 to 7 October 1943. After the detection of U-boat activity was taken over by the United States Navy, the 91st Reconnaissance Squadron (344th Reconnaissance Group) was assigned to the airfield during 1944 and 1945 flying the F-10 photo-recon version of the B-25 Mitchell bomber on various mapping missions.

At the end of the war, Atkinson Field was reduced in scope to a skeleton staff. The facility was opened for all air travel, including commercial air flights on 1 October 1946. The same year, British West Indian Airways (BWIA, now Caribbean Airlines) was operating nonstop passenger service to Port of Spain, Trinidad. The military airfield was designated Atkinson Air Force Base on 26 March 1948 by Department of the Air Force General Order Number 10. The base was ordered closed on 31 July 1949 due to budgetary cutbacks. The final military cadre was 3 officers and 25 enlisted men upon closure, and the base was officially turned over to British authorities on 1 August 1949.

A modern terminal building was built and opened on 15 March 1952. When the new building was ravaged by fire on 5 August 1959 the old terminal building was renovated and used again until the destroyed building was replaced.

The airport had jet service in 1961 when Pan American World Airways (Pan Am) was operating Boeing 707 flights with a weekly round trip routing of Paramaribo - Georgetown - Port of Spain - Barbados - New York City. At this same time, Pan Am was also operating weekly Douglas DC-6 propliner service on a routing of Belém - Cayenne - Paramaribo - Georgetown - Port of Spain - Caracas - Curaçao - Port Au Prince - Miami. Also in 1961, British West Indian Airways (BWIA) was operating all flights from the airport with Vickers Viscount turboprop aircraft with nonstop service to Port of Spain with direct one stop service to Barbados. BWIA then introduced jet service with Boeing 727-100 aircraft during the mid-1960s and by 1966 was operating all of its passenger service into the airport with the 727 on nonstop flights to Port of Spain and also to Paramaribo in addition to all-cargo flights nonstop to Port of Spain and direct to Miami operated with Douglas DC-4 prop aircraft.

The lease of the facility by the United States was formally terminated on 26 May 1966 (Guyana's Independence Day). Because the lease was terminated 74 years before its end date, a new agreement was reached giving certain specified rights to the United States in relation to the air base for the next 17 years.

In 1965 and 1968 additions were made to the airport facilities. Also in 1968, British West Indian Airways (BWIA) was operating direct, no change of plane Boeing 727-100 jet service to New York City via JFK Airport via intermediate stops in Port of Spain and Barbados. On 1 May 1969, the Atkinson Aerodrome was renamed the Timehri International Airport – "Timehri" is a Carib word for rock motifs located deep in the Guyana hinterland that pre-date the arrival of Europeans in the New World. The airport featured murals employing Amerindian motifs by Guyanese painter Aubrey Williams. In 1971, BWIA was operating daily nonstop service to Port of Spain from the airport with Boeing 707 jetliners. By 1973, ALM Antillean Airlines was operating Douglas DC-9 jet service on a routing of Paramaribo - Georgetown - Port of Spain - Curaçao - Kingston - Miami three times a week according to the Official Airline Guide (OAG). Air France was serving the airport in 1977 with round trip service flown twice weekly on a Pointe-a-Pitre - Fort-de-France - Port of Spain - Georgetown - Paramaribo - Cayenne routing operated with a Boeing 737-200. Pan American World Airways (Pan Am) was serving the airport in 1980 with daily one stop Boeing 707 jet service to New York JFK Airport via an intermediate stop in Port of Spain. In 1981, Guy-America Airways was operating nonstop Boeing 707 jet service between New York JFK Airport and Guyana three days a week.

In 1983, according to the Official Airline Guide (OAG), four airlines were operating scheduled passenger air service at the airport: ALM Antillean Airlines, Arrow Air, British West Indies Airways (BWIA, formerly British West Indian Airways) and Guyana Airways. At this time, ALM was operating McDonnell Douglas MD-80 jet service nonstop to Port of Spain, Trinidad, with one stop direct MD-80 flights to Curaçao, U.S.-based Arrow Air was flying nonstop Boeing 707 jet service to JFK Airport in New York City, BWIA was operating nonstop McDonnell Douglas DC-9-50 jet flights to Port of Spain and locally based Guyana Airways was flying Boeing 707 nonstop service to Barbados, Miami, New York JFK Airport, Paramaribo, Suriname and Port of Spain. The OAG also lists local and regional flights operated by Guyana Airways with Hawker Siddeley 748 and de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter turboprop aircraft at this time. Guyana Airways had earlier operated Boeing 737-200 jet service from the airport in 1981 with nonstop flights to Barbados, Miami, Paramaribo and Port of Spain. By 1989, two airlines were operating nonstop flights between the airport and New York JFK: Guyana Airways with three Boeing 707 flights a week and Tropical Airways flying stretched Super Douglas DC-8 jets twice a week. In 1993, Guyana Airways was operating nonstop Boeing 757-200 flights from GEO to New York JFK Airport three days a week while BWIA and Leisure Air were operating direct one stop flights from New York JFK Airport, BWIA with McDonnell Douglas MD-80 jets five days a week via an intermediate stop in Antigua and Leisure Air with Airbus A320 jets once a week via an intermediate stop in St. Lucia. In 1995 Barbados-based Carib Express was operating British Aerospace BAe 146-100 jet service to destinations in the Caribbean.

In March 1997, following the death of President Dr. Cheddi Jagan, then-President Samuel Hinds decided to rename the airport the Cheddi Jagan International Airport. The proposition to rename the airport was proposed in the Parliament (National Assembly) by the Minister of Amerindian Affairs, Vibert De Souza, who noted that it would be a fitting tribute to a man who had spent his life committed to the betterment of Amerindian people and fighting for the freedom and unity of all Guyanese. A plaque bearing the new name was unveiled on 21 May 1997 by the Prime Minister, Janet Jagan.

The Cheddi Jagan International Airport underwent a 150 million dollar modernization and expansion. The runway was extended to about 10,500 feet and the expansion provided a new arrivals terminal building with eight boarding bridges, elevators and CCTV. This was completed in December 2018. However, the check-in facility opened at the same time. In March 2023, British Airways commenced service to London's Gatwick Airport via Saint Lucia.

Facilities

The airport sits at an elevation of 95 feet (29 m) above mean sea level. It has two asphalt paved runways: 06/24 measuring 11,025 by 148 feet (3,360 m × 45 m) and 11/29 measuring 5,002 by 148 feet (1,525 m × 45 m). The terminal has six ground level gates and four boarding bridges.

Airlines and destinations

Passenger

Cargo

Accidents and incidents

• On 30 July 2011, Caribbean Airlines Flight 523 overran a runway in rainy weather while landing at Cheddi Jagan International Airport and went through a chain-link perimeter fence. The aircraft, a Boeing 737-800, broke in two just behind the first class cabin. There were no fatalities, although at least two passengers suffered broken legs and many others suffered lacerations and other injuries. Caribbean Airlines confirmed that 163 people (157 passengers and 6 crew members) were on board the aircraft at the time.
• On 9 November 2018, Fly Jamaica Airways Flight 256, bound for Toronto, overshot the runway when making an emergency landing for technical issues in the Boeing 757's hydraulics. This caused significant damage to the aircraft and one passenger fatality. The airliner involved, B757-200 registration N524AT was deemed beyond economical repair and written-off.

References

 This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency

1. Aviation, Guyana. "Cheddi Jagan Airport processed record passenger numbers in 2019". guyanaaviation.com. Retrieved 28 January 2019.
2. ^ Airport information for SYCJ from DAFIF (effective October 2006)
3. Airport information for GEO at Great Circle Mapper. Source: DAFIF (effective October 2006).
4. http://www.timetableimages.com, Jan. 1, 1946 British West Indian Airways system timetable
5. ^ http://www.timetableimages.com, Aug. 1, 1961 Pan American World Airways system timetable
6. http://www.timetableimages.com, April 10, 1961 British West Indian Airways system timetable
7. http://www.timetableimages.com, Sept. 1, 1966 British West Indian Airways system timetable
8. "U.S. Releases Guyana Base". Desert Sun. UPI. 27 May 1966. Retrieved 19 December 2020.
9. http://www.timetableimages.com, April 28, 1968 British West Indian Airways system timetable
10. http://www.timetableimages.com, July 1, 1971 BWIA International system timetable
11. "Air France Summer Timetable". Airline Timetable Images. 1977.
12. http://www.departedflights.com, April 27, 1980 Pan Am system timetable
13. http://www.timetableimages.com, Sept. 1, 1981 Guy America Airways timetable
14. http://www.departedflights.com, July 1, 1983 Worldwide Official Airline Guide (OAG), Georgetown, Guyana flight schedules
15. http://www.timetableimages.com, April 26, 1981 Guyana Airways system timetable
16. http://www.departedflights.com, Jan. 9, 1989 Official Airline Guide (OAG), New York JFK Airport flight schedules
17. Oct. 1, 1993 OAG Desktop Flight Guide, Worldwide Edition, Georgetown flight schedules
18. "Airliners.net | Aviation Photography, Discussion Forums & News". Airliners.net. Retrieved 13 December 2023.
19. "About us". CJ Airport-GY. Archived from the original on 30 November 2021. Retrieved 30 November 2021.
20. "CJIA check-in facility could open weekend". Ministry of Public Infrastructure. 4 May 2018.
21. "British Airways touches down in Aruba and Guyana with two inaugural flights to the Caribbean" (Press release). British Airways. 28 March 2023. Retrieved 29 April 2024.
22. "Avianca Announces New Direct Route Between Georgetown And Bogota". 10 October 2024.
23. "Direct Flights Between Guyana & Grenada". 24 August 2024.
24. "KLM to fly between Guyana & Netherlands from June 2025". Retrieved 12 November 2024.
25. https://newsroom.gy/2024/11/14/liat-2020-launches-direct-flight-to-georgetown
26. "Sky High Dominicana to introduce non-stop flights from Cuba to Guyana from May 27". 18 May 2024.
27. "Surinam Airways to fly between Guyana and Barbados". December 2023.
28. Gonzalez, Sofia (30 November 2023). "United Airlines unveils first-ever nonstop service from Houston's IAH to Georgetown, Guyana". Houston Business Journal.
29. amerijet.com - Flight schedules retrieved 12 November 2022
30. "Caribbean B738 bei Landung zerbrochen". aero.de (in German). 30 July 2011. Retrieved 20 August 2024.
31. "Aviation Safety Network". Retrieved 31 July 2019.
32. "Registration Details For N524AT (FlyJamaica Airways) 757-23N". Retrieved 31 July 2019.

External links

• Cheddi Jagan International Airport, official site
• Current weather for SYCJ at NOAA/NWS
• Accident history for GEO at Aviation Safety Network

• Guyana
• Aviation

v t e Transport in Guyana
Aviation	Airports Aishalton Annai Apoteri Awaruwaunau Baramita Bartica Ebini Cheddi Jagan Imbaimadai Kaieteur Kamarang Karanambo Karasabai Kato Kurukabaru Lethem Linden Lumid Pau Mabaruma Mahdia Monkey Mountain Mountain Point New Amsterdam Orinduik Ogle Paramakatoi Paruima Port Kaituma Airlines Guyana Airways Roraima Airways Trans Guyana Airways Universal Airlines People Arthur James Williams Beverley Drake Cheryl Pickering-Moore
Road	Roads Soesdyke-Linden Highway Bridges Berbice Bridge Demerara Harbour Bridge Denham Suspension Bridge Takutu River Bridge
Rail	Lines Railways in Guyana
Water	Canals Torani Canal Hope Canal

v t e Buildings in Guyana
Airports	Cheddi Jagan Eugene Correia Kaieteur Aishalton Annai Apoteri Awaruwaunau Baramita Bartica Ebini Imbaimadai Kamarang Karanambo Karasabai Kato Kurukabaru Lethem Linden Lumid Pau Mabaruma Mahdia Monkey Mountain Mountain Point New Amsterdam Orinduik Paramakatoi Paruima Port Kaituma
Amusement parks	Splashmins Fun Park
Forts	Fort Nassau Fort Zeelandia Fort Kyk-Over-Al
Government and municipal	Georgetown City Hall Parliament Building Red House Secretariat of the Caribbean Community State House
Hospitals	Georgetown Public Hospital New Amsterdam Public Hospital St. Joseph Mercy Hospital
Museums and zoos	Guyana National Art Gallery Guyana National Museum Guyana Zoo Walter Roth Museum of Anthropology
Other monuments	Arthur Chung Conference Centre Austin House Bank of Guyana Georgetown Cenotaph Georgetown Lighthouse Stabroek Market Umana Yana
Places of worship	Brickdam Cathedral St Andrew's Kirk St George's Cathedral Mission Chapel
Sports venues	Bourda Providence Stadium South Dakota Circuit Synthetic Track and Field Facility

v t e USAAF Sixth Air Force in World War II
Previously: Panama Canal Air Force (1940-1941); Caribbean Air Force (1941-1942)
Airfields	Caribbean Coolidge (Antigua) Dakota (Aruba) Batista (Cuba) Camaguey (Cuba) Hato (Curaçao) Vernam (Jamaica) Arecibo (Puerto Rico) Borinquen (Puerto Rico) Losey (Puerto Rico) Benedict (Saint Croix) Beane (Saint Lucia) Carlsen (Trinidad) Piarco Airport (Trinidad) Waller (Trinidad) Canal Zone Albrook France Howard Panama Aguadulce Anton Calzada Larga Chame David La Chorrera Madden Patilla Point Pocri Río Hato Central and South America Belém (Brazil) Atkinson (British Guiana) Zandery (Dutch Guiana) Salinas (Ecuador) Baltra (Galápagos Islands) Guatemala City (Guatemala) Talara (Peru)
Units	Commands VI Bomber Command VI Fighter Command XXVI Fighter Command XXXVI Fighter Command VI Air Force Service Antilles Air Command Wings 6th Fighter 13th Bombardment 19th Composite 24th Composite Groups Fighter 16th Fighter 32d Fighter 36th Fighter 37th Fighter 53d Fighter Bomber 6th Bombardment 9th Bombardment 25th Bombardment 40th Bombardment Reconnaissance 72d Reconnaissance Squadrons 1st Depot Repair 20th Troop Carrier 23d Antisubmarine 91st Reconnaissance
United States Army Air Forces First Second Third Fourth Fifth Sixth Seventh Eighth Ninth Tenth Eleventh Twelfth Thirteenth Fourteenth Fifteenth Twentieth

• Airports in Guyana
• Airports established in 1941
• Demerara-Mahaica
• Destroyers for Bases Agreement airfields
• Airfields of the United States Army Air Forces Air Transport Command on the South Atlantic Route
• Airfields of the United States Army Air Forces
• 1941 establishments in British Guiana
• World War II sites in British Guiana