Engine trouble delays GA2000 flight
by Michelle Elphage
MORE than 200 passengers were late yesterday afternoon still stranded here after a Guyana Airways 2000 (GA2000) aircraft to New York developed engine trouble and had to turn back. Airline officials said the A-300 Airbus which can carry 298 passengers was almost full and returned to the Cheddi Jagan International Airport, Timehri Friday night after developing technical problems. Chairman of the Board of Directors Mr Yesu Persaud confirmed the aircraft developed problems when one of the engines shut down and the pilot decided to turn back shortly after takeoff. Persaud said from what he understood the return landing further affected other parts of the aircraft. A press release from GA2000 said its GY752 flight which left the airport for New York at 22:45 hrs was "forced to return to the airport after being in-flight about 40 minutes because of a safety warning requiring the isolation and shut down of the left engine." "The aircraft returned to the airport at 00:15 hrs making a safe single engine landing. Subsequent examination of the aircraft revealed that the safety warning system malfunctioned," the airline said. It said replacement parts are expected in the country by 16:00 hrs today and the GY752 flight should be able to leave by 19:00 hrs. The airline was asking passengers booked to travel on another flight, GY762, to New York yesterday at 16:30 hrs and those on the delayed flight to check with its office for rescheduled flight information. Public relations consultant Mr Christopher `Kit' Nascimento told the Chronicle that GA2000 was exploring the possibility of bringing in an extra aircraft to fly out those delayed. He was not sure of a scheduled time of departure up to yesterday afternoon for the GY762 flight. Nascimento explained that because the A-300 Airbus landed with one engine, the brakes and tyres were also affected and the airline had to ship in brake parts and two new wheels. The engineers he said have advised that the fault could be fixed within about an hour-and-a-half so they should be able to leave this evening with the GY752 flight. But irate passengers at the GA2000 Georgetown office complained that after the jet returned to the airport they waited for hours to be told what was happening. Five passengers said after they landed back at the Cheddi Jagan Airport, they waited for more than three hours before any staff from the airline turned up to say anything. "We were sitting there until after 3 o'clock before we heard anything. I arrived in town after 5 o'clock," an angry Cliff Andrews reported. He said they were not given anything to eat until hours later. Nascimento said when the plane returned checks were being done to see whether it could still fly. The GA2000 office was up to late yesterday afternoon packed with passengers trying to get compensation vouchers cashed and to clarify what was going on. Some had travelled from the Corentyne, Berbice. Among those stuck at the airport up to yesterday afternoon were Ramsundar Ramcharran, 75, and his wheelchair-bound wife Olive, 75. They said they were at the airport from Friday afternoon and were still there after 16:00 hrs yesterday. Ramsundar said the GA2000 staff helped the couple to their office and then left them there. They were given something to eat only yesterday morning. Staff of the British West Indian Airlines (BWIA) helped to make coffee at the airport for stranded wheelchair bound passengers, after GA2000 airport staff left, it was reported. Passengers agreed that while the problem with the aircraft was something that happened to most airlines, the issue was that they were not getting proper feedback from the GA2000 staff on what was going on. Some passengers were considering changing airlines for their return passage but Nascimento said GA2000 had received only one request for change so far. GA200 has an agreement with North American Airlines, the Chronicle understands, but none with BWIA. GA2000 last week confirmed it was experiencing "difficult times" because of market and other conditions but said it was not in crisis. It also reported an enthusiastic response here and abroad to the proposed offering of shares to the public. Persaud said officials Friday met some 20 travel agents here and many, along with others in the U.S. and Canada are willing to buy into GA2000 once it goes public. President Bharrat Jagdeo Thursday confirmed the government was willing to dilute its 49 per cent share in the airline so that it can go public to raise funds. He said directors of GA2000 met him recently and outlined the current status of the airline. The GA2000 A-300 Airbus was serviced during the middle of the last week, the Chronicle understands.
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