Nine hours of chaos

WESTERN BUREAU:

CHAOS REIGNED supreme at the Sangster International Airport in Montego Bay, St James, for several hours yesterday as issues with the newly extended runway impacted scores of flights.

More than 50 incoming international flights had to be either cancelled or diverted to the Norman Manley International Airport (NMIA) in Kingston and other airports in the United States.

Passengers who were slated to depart on a flight destined for New York at 8 a.m. completed their pre-departure routine, after which their aircraft taxied to the runway. However, at that point, the pilot announced that he was told that the runway had to be closed temporarily.

“We were seated on the aircraft on the runway for almost two hours before it became apparent that the flight was not going to take off any time soon, so it returned to the gate,” a passenger, who was bound for New York, told The Gleaner mid-morning.

Soon there were reports of overcrowding in the departure area as more passengers slated to leave the island began turning up for flights, only to encounter the unfolding crisis with no answers forthcoming.

At about 9:55 a.m., MBJ Airports Limited, operators of the airport, sent out a release, stating: “The runway at the Sangster International Airport is temporarily closed. As such, there will be no flight operations for a few hours. We are working to resolve the issue and will provide further updates.”

At 11:22 a.m., it indicated in a follow-up release that the closure was “due to issues with ongoing construction”.

The release added: “The decision was made in order to prioritise the safety of all operations.”

When The Gleaner visited the airport, several stranded passengers were seen lying on the floor in the departure area, propping up their heads with their luggage as the seats in the hallway had all been taken up.

In a radio interview on Thursday, MBJ Airports CEO Shane Munroe explained that with the ongoing expansion project, the contractor had scheduled work to be carried out on the runway on Wednesday night as normal, outside of operation hours. However, issues with the asphalt produced at the plant at the airport – specifically in relation to the quality – a decision was taken not to lay it. Time constraints also meant that it would not be able to source alternative asphalt meeting the specifications needed in time to complete the work before the airport reopened in the morning. A risk assessment then led to the decision to close the runway.

Yesterday, some passengers, whose outgoing flights were diverted to Kingston, were transported by bus from Montego Bay to NMIA. Those left stranded in Montego Bay finally got some good news at about 2:30 p.m., when Sharon Hislop-Holt, manager, commercial business development and marketing, MBJ Airports Limited, told the media that the runway was now open.

“Earlier today we experienced some challenges with our runway due to the ongoing extension works, and this created some challenges for us throughout the day as the runway was closed ... . We worked with the Jamaica [Civil] Aviation Authority to ensure the runway was safe for airport operation,” said Holt-Hislop.

“Passengers are here and the airport is now open. Some passengers have checked in, and the airlines will arrive to take the passengers out,” added Holt-Hislop.

“For those flights cancelled, arrangements have been made with the passengers. Some airlines have already indicated that they will have extra flights operating tomorrow to facilitate those passengers impacted,” she noted.

Transport Minister Daryl Vaz was peeved at the situation.

“Something like that should not happen. ... It’s unacceptable,” he said in a Television Jamaica interview.

The minister said that he has asked MBJ Airports Ltd, the Airports Authority of Jamaica, and the Jamaica Civil Aviation Authority for reports. Upon receipt, an investigation will be launched into the cause of the crisis.

adrian.frater@gleanerjm.com