Senior Minister in the Office of the President with Responsibility for Finance, Dr. Ashni Singh, on Thursday welcomed visiting United Kingdom (UK) Foreign Secretary, the Rt. Hon. Ed Miliband, for bilateral discussions aimed at strengthening cooperation and deepening the longstanding partnership between Guyana and the United Kingdom.
The discussions focused on advancing strategic cooperation between the two countries, as their diplomatic and commercial relations continue to develop.
Prior to the meeting, Dr. Singh conducted a site visit of the new Terminal 2 currently under construction at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA).
During the engagements, the Finance Minister was joined by Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Hugh Todd and Minister of Public Utilities and Aviation Deodat Indar.
Meanwhile, CJIA Chief Executive Officer Ramesh Ghir accompanied Ministers Singh and Indar on the tour of the terminal. The UK Foreign Secretary was accompanied by Amy Barklam, His Majesty’s Trade Commissioner for Latin America and the Caribbean, UK Export Finance (UKEF) Chief Executive Officer Tim Reid, British High Commissioner to Guyana Joseph Fisher and other officials.
The construction of Terminal 2, supported by UKEF and being undertaken by United Kingdom firm Mowlem International (UK) Limited, formerly BHM Construction International (UK) Limited, highlights the commercial relationship between Guyana and the UK.
The US$65.5 million project is expected to ease congestion in the arrivals area, improve passenger processing, separate arriving and departing passengers, reduce departure congestion and provide additional space for duty-free shops, restaurants and other passenger services and amenities.
When completed, the upgraded terminal facilities are expected to further enhance Guyana’s tourism, trade and investment landscape.
In August 2025, President Dr. Mohamed Irfaan Ali turned the sod for the construction of the modern terminal, describing the project as part of a wider vision to transform Guyana into a global aviation hub.
The President had also indicated that the modernisation project goes beyond infrastructure development and forms part of a broader aim to build a global aviation community.
During his 2026 Budget presentation in the National Assembly, Minister Singh noted that Guyana’s extraordinary economic growth, increasing international visibility and efforts to promote the country as an attractive tourism destination have contributed to an unprecedented increase in visitor arrivals for both business and leisure.
Guyana recorded 453,489 visitor arrivals in 2025, the highest figure ever recorded.
Minister Singh further remarked that,
“Looking forward, within this term, Government will construct a new arrivals terminal at the CJIA, as we continue its modernisation to meet international standards and position it to become a regional transport hub with in-transit capabilities,”
“This has driven the need to expand the CJIA, establish new municipal airports, and upgrade our hinterland airstrips as we strive to continue our ambitious programme to improve national and international air connectivity”.
Meanwhile, in its 2025 Manifesto, the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C), under its broader transport infrastructure plans, outlined several initiatives for the aviation sector.
These included the construction of municipal airports at Lethem and Rose Hall/Canje, the upgrading of hinterland airstrips and the extension of runways where necessary.
The party also pledged to collaborate with the private sector to establish an aviation school in Guyana, with the capacity to train personnel across all areas of aviation, including the training and certification of pilots locally.
