Delta Airlines yesterday apologized to its passengers, one of whom was President Bharrat Jagdeo for the mechanical problems which forced a flight to make two emergency landings on Sunday; an airline representative said passengers’ safety was however guaranteed.

According to the airline representative the aircraft, a Boeing 757 which departed Timehri for New York around 10 am, developed mechanical problems on Sunday while en-route and “was diverted to San Juan, where the problem continued and the aircraft then diverted at Fort Lauderdale in Florida”. The aircraft was changed and the flight made it to New York safely, landing there at 10.06 pm, the representative said.

According to reports, the aircraft experienced pressurization problems in the cabin while over the Trinidad and Tobago airspace. The pilots notified authorities there and the craft continued to San Juan in Puerto Rico where it made an emergency landing after orbiting the airport there for some 45 minutes in order to burn fuel. This is a normal procedure as having bulk fuel on board an aircraft during an emergency landing could have dire consequences, this newspaper was told.

Persons within the aviation sector here have questioned why, in the interest of safety, the aircraft could not land in Trinidad as it was the closest point when the problem was observed. Reports are that it was within the policy of the company that the aircraft proceed to San Juan, and according to the airline, the final decision on the progress of the flight rests solely with the pilot in command of the aircraft. According to the company, “the safety of our customers is our priority and we took appropriate measures to ensure the welfare of everyone on board”.

The airline representative stated that Delta, “apologizes deeply for the inconvenience this may have caused to President Jagdeo and all other passengers who were on board”.