Gum Air (GUM, Paramaribo Zorg en Hoop) has ordered a single Cessna 408 SkyCourier from Cessna Aircraft Company/Textron Aviation with delivery slated for 2023 as it hopes to capitalise on the expansion of the oil and gas sector in neighbouring Guyana and French Guiana.
"With the current construction of a new 3,600-foot runway at Heliport Paramaribo, we can utilize the SkyCourier for flights between Paramaribo, Georgetown Cheddi Jagan, Port of Spain, and Cayenne. Due to the development of the oil and gas industry in the Guyanas, we see potential growth in this market. We have been operating daily flights with the Cessna (single turboprop) C208 Caravan between Paramaribo and Georgetown since 2009, and this addition is the logical step for us," Director Dean Gummels said.
Gum Air plans to use the aircraft for both cargo and passenger operations. In the initial stage, it will deploy it mostly on its Paramaribo Zorg en Hoop-Georgetown trunk route. It will also use it to ramp up its charter operations in South America and to the Caribbean.
The carrier is owned by the Gummels family, which also owns Heliport Paramaribo, the Surinamese capital's third airport besides Paramaribo International and Zorg en Hoop. It currently operates eleven fixed-wing aircraft, including two DHC-6-300s, four Cessna (single piston) C206s, and five C208Bs. The carrier plans to move its international operations to Heliport Paramaribo once the construction of the runway is completed. However, its domestic operations will remain routed out of Zorg en Hoop. Currently, Gum Air connects the Surinamese capital with Benzdorp, Cottica, Gakaba, Drietabbetje, and Stoelmanseiland on a scheduled basis.
