An Air Services Limited (ASL) aircraft carrying five passengers and a pilot ran off the runway after landing at the Mahdia Airstrip yesterday. No injury was reported.

Police said the aircraft came to a halt on the eastern side of the airstrip. No cargo was reported lost or damaged, while the aircraft reportedly sustained minor damage to its wheels. Ranks visited the scene and took statements. Further enquiries are continuing.

While the police did not name ASL the photograph it issued with the release as running off the runway had ASL written on it. The company has not publicly spoken on the matter.

The incident comes ten days after a Trans Guyana Airways aircraft ran off the runway at Mabaruma. Trans Guyana said an animal entered the landing area and forced the aircraft off the runway, causing considerable damage. The circumstances of that incident remain under investigation. 

Before the Mabaruma incident, Trans Guyana had written to the Guyana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) on June 16 about animals, people and other hazards at hinterland airstrips. It wrote again on September 9 about increased wildlife activity and bird strikes, identifying Mabaruma as the location of greatest concern. GCAA Director General Egbert Field subsequently confirmed receiving the airline’s complaints. 

The Aviation Operators’ Association of Guyana has since called on the GCAA to ensure that aerodromes meet the required safety standards. It urged stronger runway inspections, perimeter security and wildlife control, warning that a pilot may have only seconds to respond to an obstruction during take-off or landing/

On Friday, the GCAA said it was alarmed by the increasing frequency of animals crossing runways and warned that allowing an animal onto aerodrome land is an offence under the Civil Aviation Act.