A British Airways flight were left stranded on Thursday after the airline cancelled its onward journey from Saint Lucia to Guyana following a mechanical issue with the aircraft.
The affected service, Flight BA2155, was scheduled to leave Saint Lucia for Cheddi Jagan International Airport in Georgetown. However, the aircraft remained on the ground for over 6 hours after engineering staff assessed the problem.
Hours after the delay, British Airways cancelled the flight due to safety concerns and started making alternative travel plans for affected passengers who were travelling from London Gatwick.
Several Guyanese and British passengers were among the affected. Many were expected to remain overnight in Saint Lucia before traveling on a replacement flight to depart around midday on today Friday. The airline advised the passengers to stay updated on the revised travel schedule via the British Airways official website.
An official at St Lucia’s Hewanorra International airport where the aircraft was grounded said that it is normal procedure to check that everything on the plane is fully functioning.
Speaking from Vieux Fort where the airport is based she said: “This is not the first time that an aircraft has had mechanical problems. We have to ascertain that everything is in perfect order before the plane can leave the runway. We will not give the greenlight if we think that there are problems after engineers have checked the aircraft. The is the standard the world over. We apologise to the passengers who were going to South America.” She adds ” It is better to be safe than sorry”
The cancellation also disrupted service at Cheddi Jagan International Airport, in the South American country where relatives and passengers were waiting for the flight from Saint Lucia. The airport’s schedule was affected as the inbound flight did not arrive as planned.
British Airways has not yet released details of the specific mechanical issue but said that passenger safety is their top priority. The aircraft was grounded until the issue could be assessed and resolved.
A passenger who will only give his first name as Rohan said that they were asked to disembark and had to wait for many hours in the terminal. ” I travel many times using this route to see my family in Guyana and I was a bit disappointed. It is better to be disappointed to to be sorry for anything untoward. All in all I think they airline and authorities in St Lucia handled the situation quite well.”
The Saint Lucia-Guyana service is a part of British Airways’ Caribbean network that connects passengers traveling between the Eastern Caribbean, Guyana, and the United Kingdom.
Other People took to social media to praise the airline’s quick response in handling the matter. One individual said, “Its better for an aircraft to have a mechanical problem on the ground than in the air,” while another stated, “They better be thankful they’re still safe and sound on solid ground and stop rush the people them…look how many planes been falling out the skies these last few days…better delay and a safe plane I say.”