Minutes after departing the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA), Timehri this morning, a Caribbean Airlines flight was forced to return following a bird strike.
Reports reaching this newspaper indicate that birds were caught up in the engine while the flight was taking off. Director of the Guyana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA), Zulfikar Mohammed confirmed that the incident took place. He said that the plane was heading to Piarco, Trinidad and had departed at about 10:30 am. The plane landed again at 10:36 am.
Mohammed said that the aircraft will remain grounded until the necessary repairs are conducted. According to him, the airline may have to bring in another aircraft to carry the stranded passengers out. Stabroek News understands that engineers are currently assessing the situation at the CJIA.
Bird strikes, Mohammed said, are a rare occurrence in Guyana. “We don’t have too many bird strikes here,” he told Stabroek News.
