The Guyanese Government has rejected Eastern Airlines' application to begin scheduled flights between New York JFK and Georgetown Cheddi Jagan, Guyana.

Formerly Dynamic International Airways (Greensboro Piedmont Triad International), the North Carolina-based charter specialist rebranded as Eastern Airlines in October 2018, five months after emerging from Chapter 11 bankruptcy. Now wholly-owned by Kenneth Woolley, through his Nevada-based Solitude Strategies, LLC, Eastern Airlines was recapitalized and reinvigorated with a new management structure. It subsequently maintained Dynamic's original application for foreign scheduled authority which was, at last, effected earlier this month. The airline said it would use the authorization to run 3x weekly New York-Georgetown flights using B767 equipment.

However, according to the Guyana Chronicle, Minister of Public Infrastructure David Patterson said that President David Granger's Cabinet had rejected Eastern's application given the financial difficulties it had experienced during its years as Dynamic International Airways. At the time, Dynamic had the dubious reputation of cancelling flights on the Georgetown-New York JFK route. It was fined millions of Guyanese dollars by local authorities while affected passengers sought refunds, some of whom claim they have yet to be reimbursed.

“Eastern Airlines made an application which I carried to Cabinet yesterday (Tuesday) and, after deliberations, Cabinet has said that maybe the time is right for them to operate somewhere else for a little while before we actually grant them a renewed license,” he told the Guyana Chronicle. “Basically, we’re saying that we’re not comfortable immediately after them having filed for bankruptcy to start back immediately after.”

Patterson said during a public interest survey, the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) and Georgetown Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA) both came forward claiming they were still owed money by Dynamic. As such, government will monitor Eastern's other operations before entertaining the possibility of allowing them to resume flights to Guyana.

Eastern Airlines was not immediately available for comment.

According to the ch-aviation schedules module, Georgetown sees scheduled service to the United States via a combination of carriers; American Airlines, Caribbean Airlines, and Surinam Airways serve Miami International while both American and Caribbean Airlines also serve New York JFK.

Patterson said a number of airlines had expressed an interest in establishing a partnership in the English-speaking, South American country.

“There are other Expressions of Interest. Quite a few other airlines: two American and one European are interested in Guyana and we’re actively engaging them,” he said.