BA inaugural fl by man with G
British Airways captain, Marc Chan, who has Guyanese roots, co-piloted the inaugural flight by the airline on Monday afternoon and beamed with pride having completed the task with Captain Alan Brooks, who also has Caribbean links.
“It will mark my first steps on to the land of my father and is one of the highlights of my flying career, which started 37 years ago in the RAF Air Cadets,” Chan said in a statement released by British Airways announcing the commencement of their flights on the route.
In a brief comment, Chan explained his father Michael Chan-Choong of Suddie, Essequibo Coast grew up dreaming of becoming a pilot.
“My father was a BOAC and British Airways captain from 1968 until 1999. He used to look up as a small boy from the jungle at the silver BOAC jets flying high above and dreamed of one day becoming a pilot. My father, Michael ChanChoong, was the first Guyanese pilot in BOAC and one of the few ethnic pilots,” he explained.
During the welcoming ceremony yesterday, a clearly elated Chan had the opportunity to meet and interact with ministers Juan Edghill, Deodat Indar, and Oneidge Walrond, as well as Director General of the Guyana Civil Aviation Authority and others to share his story.
“Fifty years later I am very proud to help launch the inaugural service to Georgetown with my co-pilot Alan Brooks who has Caribbean heritage… I look forward to flying into Georgetown many more times,” he said.
British Airways (BA) on Monday commenced its scheduled flight operations to Guyana from the UK as it commenced its twice-weekly operations.
Its predecessor, British Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC) had last flown here 42 years ago.
British Airways’ VP Airports Latin America and the Caribbean, Ian Blackman, remarked, “As the longest serving carrier connecting the Caribbean with the UK, our new service strengthens the links to the region and introduces even more travellers to the British Airways experience. We’re delighted to be supporting the growth of business and leisure travel to and from Guyana, via St Lucia.”
The statement from British Airways explained that this first all-new direct service between London Gatwick Airport (LGW) and Georgetown, Guyana (GEO), which took off on