Stranded Cuban nationals begin returning home
-as Honduran airline gets approval for limited operations
This was one of the many scenes featuring the Cuban nationals left stranded at the airport after the Honduran airline, Easy Sky, which provides chartered flights for the Cubans, was temporarily suspended by the Guyana Civil Aviation Authority.
A decision to temporarily grant Honduran airline Easy Sky permission to operate in local airspace has been made by the Guyana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA), allowing Cuban nationals who were stranded at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA) over the past few days to return home.
The decision follows a directive given last Thursday by the GCAA to suspend the airline’s operations in light of several safety concerns.
This, resulted in an estimated 433 Cuban passengers being stranded at the CJIA over the weekend and into Monday.
GCAA Director-General Lt.Col (ret’d) Egbert Field, in a statement issued by the Government Information Agency (GINA) yesterday, explained that the safety deficiencies uncovered after the Authority’s inspectors conducted oversight inspections, following reports on non-standard procedures by Easy Sky airline, were what caused the suspension of its operations.
“In the interest of public safety, immediate suspension was necessary. Since the suspension, the Authority has met with the airline’s management and Roraima Airways– the local ground handling agent— and outlined several short-term safety deficiencies which must be addressed before recommencement of operations by Easy Sky,” the Director-General said.
Following the rectification of the short-term safety deficiencies by Easy Sky, Field said that approval was granted Monday evening to the airline to conduct limited operations under the oversight of the GCAA to effect the repatriation of the stranded passengers.
“The Government, through the Ministry of Public Infrastructure and the GCAA has been working closely with the Cuban Embassy and the airline to ensure that the stranded passengers are looked after as a matter of priority,” the statement said.
In addition to this, Field said the GCAA will continue to monitor the operations of Easy Sky until all the passengers are transported. He emphasised that the agency remains committed to ensuring that air travel, in and out of Guyana, is conducted in the safest possible method, in keeping with international best practices.
‘Uncertain’
Meanwhile, when Stabroek News visited the CJIA just around midday yesterday, the airport’s departure area was jam-packed with Cubans awaiting an update on the situation.
Several airport workers who spoke with Stabroek News explained that the visiting Cubans were forced to sleep on the airport floor since the GCAA directive was issued last Thursday.
In addition, they were reportedly not offered any form of accommodation or food by the airline in light of the frustrating circumstances.
But while reports indicate that scores of stranded Cubans had been accommodated on an out-going Easy Sky flight earlier in the day, countless others were uncertain of their departure schedule.
One Cuban man who spoke to this newspaper explained that he and his relatives have been at the airport since Thursday and they were told they will not be able to fly out until tomorrow. Another man explained that he had not yet received an update on the situation and so was unable to say for sure when he would be able to return home.
In spite of the situation, several buses turned up at the airport to discharge other Cubans expecting to leave the country yesterday.
Easy Sky was first introduced to Guyana last October with assistance from its local partner, Roraima Airways. At the time of its introduction to Guyana’s aviation sector, the airline had expressed its commitment to forging reliable and sustained relationship with Guyana by creating an air link to Cuba and countries in Central America.