Insel Air to commence serving Guyana market from June 18

Insel AirGeorgetown: CURACAO carrier, Insel Air is set to officially begin its service to the Guyana market from June 18, 2014. The handing over of the signed agreement between Roraima Airways and Insel Air by Captain Debbie

Chief Executive Officer of Insel Air, Fredericks Noboer said he is enthusiastic about commencing operations here, and thanked Roraima Airways as a strategic partner in the airline coming here.

Roraima Airways will serve as the Ground Handling Services and General Sales Agents for Insel. Destinations included into the scope of travel are Jamaica, St. Maarten, The Dominican Republic, and several South American destinations.

Nuboer noted that Insel Air will be bringing pre-clearance in Aruba for those travelling to the US, and opening a variety of airline options to choose from those operating out of Aruba going to Toronto and Europe, among several other destinations.

“This is an opportunity to connect Guyana with all of the airlines that arrive in Aruba; and now that we are connecting Aruba to Guyana, I have to go back and tell the Minister of Tourism, ‘watch out’, because maybe people will connect to Guyana instead of staying in Aruba,” the CEO stated.

Nuboer further explained that Insel Airlines, which was birthed some eight years ago, is aiming to market Guyana’s tourism internationally through the provision of its services.

Commanding thirteen fleets of aircraft, Insel provides flights out of Curacao to the neighbouring island of Aruba. Flights to Miami will also be provided via Aruba. The airline connects the Caribbean and South America, and services many other routes.

Tourism Minister (ag) Irfaan Ali underscored that with the thriving tourism sector in Guyana, the Government is committed to marketing Guyana as a tourism destination, and bringing more investments here to facilitate the linkages being built. Minister Ali noted that “modern tourists” are looking for a new tourism product apart from the “polluted cities” and “long stretches of white beach and blue water”.

“Tourists are seeking a new product; a product that is rich in nature; a product that rekindle them with the beginning of the world, and a product that is dynamic and versatile; and for my dear friends at Insel Air, you have entered the right market; the right market that offers the right product for the modern day tourists to meet their expectations,” Ali noted.

The airline’s Sales and Marketing Manager, Nejeska Mesman, said Insel Air will further integrate Guyana and bring more visitors here. “Our promise is to help Guyana get out of the isolation it was (experiencing) in the past couple of years; but also not only for Guyanese people to go to other destinations, but also bring people to Guyana.”

She also related that, as part of the airline’s launch into the Guyana market, the airline would be offering special introductory fares to Aruba, Curacao and Miami from Guyana. Vacation seekers and shoppers could fly to Aruba for US$256, to Curacao for US$299, and to Miami for $337. The special fares are all return fares and are inclusive of all taxes.

Travellers will have until June 15, 2014 to book flights for the special fares, and they will be able to travel on the special fares until December 15, 2014.

 “Insel Air, like Copa Airlines, coming to Guyana is opening up an entirely new dispensation of travelling in Guyana. For many years, the bulk of our traffic continues to be to New York and Toronto,” Gouveia said.

Insel Air operates a fleet of MD-80 aircraft, which could accommodate up to 150 passengers and will service the Guyana route twice weekly.