Guyana's Cheddi Jagan International Airport reportedly claimed the top spot in the Caribbean for passenger experience in the Q1 2026 Airport Service Quality survey — a significant but as-yet independently unverified milestone for a state-run airport punching above its weight in a region dominated by private operators.
Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA) has claimed the top spot in the Caribbean for overall passenger experience, according to Q1 2026 results from the Airport Service Quality (ASQ) survey — the aviation industry's most widely recognised passenger benchmarking programme, managed by Airports Council International (ACI).
The Georgetown facility also placed second among 43 airports across the broader Latin America and Caribbean (LAC) region, finishing just behind a major Mexican hub.
The ASQ programme collects data directly from travellers while they are still inside the terminal, evaluating performance across more than 50 indicators — from check-in efficiency and security wait times to restroom cleanliness.
Officials point to two developments as central to the improvement: the rollout of electronic gates (e-gates) integrated with Guyana's new national ID card system, which has sharply reduced immigration wait times; and the ongoing construction of a new terminal built to handle the country's rising international traffic volumes.
Minister of Public Utilities and Aviation Deodat Indar credited the result to President Irfaan Ali's push for efficiency across government agencies, singling out CJIA CEO Ramesh Ghir and airport staff. He emphasised that CJIA is a state-managed airport — not a private or public-private partnership facility — making the claimed ranking particularly striking in a region where privatised operations dominate. Caribbean360 notes the ranking is sourced from government-aligned releases; official ACI publication of Q1 2026 ASQ results has not been independently verified at time of publication.
• CJIA claimed first place in the Caribbean in the Q1 2026 ACI ASQ survey • Airport ranked second among 43 airports in the Latin America and Caribbean region • Finished just behind a major Mexican hub in the LAC-wide ranking • ASQ evaluates passengers across 50+ performance indicators directly inside the terminal • E-gates integrated with Guyana's national ID card system credited for reducing immigration wait times • A new terminal is under construction to handle growing international traffic • CJIA is state-managed, competing against private and PPP airports across the region • Minister Deodat Indar and CEO Ramesh Ghir publicly acknowledged for the result • Ranking sourced from government-aligned releases — not independently verified against official ACI data
CJIA ranked top in Caribbean for overall passenger experience in Q1 2026 ASQ survey by Airports Council International.
CJIA placed second for overall experience among 43 airports in Latin America and Caribbean region.
CJIA processed 826,000 international passengers in 2024, leading Guyana's total of 1,072,785 across all ports.
CJIA passenger traffic up 17% from 2023; international landings and seating capacity also rose 17% and 20%.
International passenger movements at CJIA and EFCIA rose from 205,297 in 2020 to 938,715 in 2024.
Total international passengers across Guyana ports increased 15% from 930,000 in 2023 to 1,072,785 in 2024.
CJIA's Q1 2026 ASQ top Caribbean ranking highlights passenger experience gains amid explosive traffic growth.
Passenger volumes exceeded 1M nationally in 2024—a year ahead of predictions—driven by CJIA's 17% surge.
375% growth since 2020 positions Guyana's aviation hub as a regional standout versus private competitors.
If ACI independently confirms the result, CJIA's Q1 2026 ASQ ranking would be more than a Guyanese milestone — it would be a rebuke directed squarely at every Caribbean government that has quietly accepted poor airport performance as the unavoidable price of public-sector management.
A state-run airport outscoring 42 competitors across Latin America and the Caribbean, besting all regional peers and finishing second only to a major Mexican hub, would shatter the assumption that privatisation is the only path to passenger satisfaction. For travellers accustomed to ageing terminals and crawling immigration queues across the region, that precedent carries real weight.
Guyana's oil-driven transformation has already redrawn economic expectations across the Caribbean. If its aviation sector is rising with it, smaller island states — many running underfunded airports on shrinking budgets — may soon face uncomfortable questions from their own passengers about why Georgetown got there first.
Predictions: • If ACI publicly confirms the Q1 2026 ASQ results, Guyana will deploy the ranking aggressively in airline route recruitment and foreign investment pitches • Caribbean governments overseeing underperforming state airports may face increased public and parliamentary pressure to benchmark against CJIA • The new CJIA terminal, once complete, will likely be marketed regionally as proof that public-sector airport management can deliver world-class infrastructure
Social Conversation: positive
The social conversation highlights positive regional tourism collaboration between Grenada and Guyana.
regional tourismMICE tourismluxury travel
"🌴 Grenada strengthens regional tourism ties with Guyana 🇬🇩🤝🇬🇾 A strategic push into MICE tourism is set to boost high-value travel, business events, and luxury experiences across the Caribbean.
https://t.co/TPsRoI76sB"
@ttradenews · India · 6d ago · View on X
Based on 1 posts from X · Apr 21, 2026
Government optimism: A landmark achievement driven by deliberate policy: According to Minister Indar, the ranking reflects President Irfaan Ali's mandate for radical efficiency across public agencies. He argues that CJIA's ability to compete with — and reportedly beat — large private and PPP airports proves Guyana has become a regional aviation leader, not merely a participant.
Editorial caution: Claims require independent verification before acceptance as fact: The ranking is sourced exclusively from government-aligned press releases, and no official ACI publication of Q1 2026 ASQ results has been independently located. Until ACI confirms the data, the claim should be treated as reported, not established — a distinction that matters for the region's aviation policymakers and travellers alike.
Regional context: Guyana's rise reflects broader economic transformation: Guyana's oil-driven economic boom has reshaped its aviation market, with sources claiming airlines serving CJIA have grown significantly in recent years. Whether or not the ASQ ranking holds up to independent scrutiny, the airport's modernisation trajectory is consistent with the country's wider infrastructure ambitions.
"I want to personally commend the CEO of CJIA, Ramesh Ghir, his dedicated staff, and all industry stakeholders for their excellent work in achieving this ranking. This success is not an accident."
— Deodat Indar, Minister of Public Utilities and Aviation, Guyana, via News Room, Guyana
For years, the assumption across Caribbean aviation has been quietly held but rarely challenged: that world-class airport management requires private-sector hands. Guyana's Cheddi Jagan International Airport has just proved otherwise.
CJIA has topped the Airports Council International's passenger satisfaction rankings for Latin America and the Caribbean — beating out private and public-private partnership facilities across the region. For a country still in the early years of its oil-driven transformation, it is a remarkable achievement - though its greater ability to find funds for investing in its airport must have helped.
For the rest of the Caribbean, it is a provocation worth taking seriously.
The result will surprise many — particularly in tourism-dependent countries that have invested heavily in their passenger experience. Jamaica's Norman Manley International Airport (NMIA) is clean, modern and efficient, offering a standard that competes credibly with any regional peer. Barbados, the Bahamas and others have made similar investments. That a state-managed facility in Georgetown has pulled ahead of all of them is not an embarrassment for those airports — it is a challenge to the assumptions that have shaped regional aviation policy for a generation.
The lesson here is not that private management is bad. It is that public management, done well and funded properly, can be exceptional. That distinction matters enormously for smaller Caribbean islands that may never attract the private investment their larger neighbours can, but still owe their citizens and visitors a world-class arrival experience.
The Caribbean should celebrate Guyana's win. But more importantly, the region should study it — and ask what CJIA is doing that others are not. Cutting time in immigration will be a key factor.
The bar has been raised. Now let's see who meets it.
Verified by Caribbean360's AI-powered fact-checking
Butterfield Bank buys CIBC Caribbean for $1.8bn, creating a $29B regional banking giant. Learn what this means for the Caribbean financial sector.
Barbados secures a proposed US$260M IMF Stand-By Arrangement pending June 2025 approval. Learn what this means for Barbados's economy and BERT 2026 reforms.
Five years on, Jamaica's JAM-DEX still hasn't gone mainstream. See why BOJ Governor Byles is blaming banks before leaving office in 2026.
Seprod divests Butterkist maker International Biscuits for a J$921M gain. See what the numbers reveal about Jamaica's biggest corporate sale of 2026.