President Irfaan Ali yesterday commissioned the newly upgraded Anna Regina Airstrip located in the Mainstay/Whyaka Amerindian village.
Upgraded for $221 million, the Department of Public Information (DPI) said that the runway spans 2,000 ft in length by 50 ft in width. The President commissioned the airstrip as part of a two-day outreach to the region.
In his remarks, President Ali said the airstrip’s completion reflects the government’s “One Guyana” philosophy, describing infrastructure development as central to national inclusion.
DPI said that he stated that airstrips are not luxuries in a country like Guyana but lifelines, capable of cutting travel time “not by minutes, but by days.”
He pointed to the Karasabai airstrip in Region Nine, which allowed Prime Minister Mark Phillips to reach flood-affected residents during a natural disaster. This previously took up to six weeks by road, DPI said.
“When access improves, inequality shrinks. When communities are connected by air, by sea, by road, by bridge, or by broadband, nations are strengthened. And this is why infrastructure, in all its forms plays a pivotal role in integrating our country. It plays a central role in equalising opportunities,” Ali said.
He thanked the Ministry of Public Utilities and Aviation, the Civil Aviation Authority, and the Ministry of Public Works for completing the project.
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