Seventeen (17) Cubans whose return home from Guyana has been delayed over the past 3 days will begin returning today as Aruba Air is expected to dispatch two aircraft to the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA) this afternoon.
This is according to local representative of Aruba Air and Chief Executive Officer of Roraima Airways, Captain Gerry Gouveia.
Gouveia in a release posited that the affected Cubans have been accommodated at Roraima Airways Residence Inn and Duke Lode Hotels, as well as at the Diocesan Youth Center in Subryanville and the YWCA on Brickdam and are being provided three meals every day.
He also outlined that a standard operating arrangement is in place for delayed Aruba Air passengers to be accommodated at the Residence Inn but due to the extended delay additional accommodation had to be secured.
“Aruba Air had expected to have the Guyana flight operational on Monday but the mechanical issue was not rectified by that time as was anticipated. This resulted in the need for additional accommodation at short notice and arrangements were immediately put in place to have them comfortably accommodated in groups so that they could interact among themselves and at the same time be communicated with together and updated on departure information”said Gouveia.
The delays in their flight, he said, resulted from mechanical issues arising from the engine of the Aruba Air aircraft dedicated to its Guyana route being hit by birds on Sunday last.
“Aruba Air’s top priority is safety. The mechanical issue took a bit longer to rectify than initially anticipated and the aircraft is now back in service. Additionally, a second aircraft is being diverted to the Guyana route to effectively deal with the backlog of passengers,” Captain Gouveia explained.
According to airline’s local representative, Aruba Air regrets the inconvenience caused by the delay.
