(Trinidad Express) A Caribbean Airlines jet was slightly damaged after a bird struck the plane as it carried passengers from Trinidad to Georgetown, Guyana on Thursday.
Flight BW 525 initially touched down at Piarco International Airport from New York.
It later left for Guyana with 120 passengers on board the Boeing 737 aircraft.
As it approached the Cheddi Jagan International Airport in Georgetown, the aircraft was struck by a bird.
It hit the nose section of the plane and damaged the aircraft’s radar dome.
No passengers were injured during the incident.
CAL’s head of corporate communications Clint Williams confirmed the incident yesterday, saying: “It is not uncommon for an aircraft to strike birds on approach and it generally does not cause major damage. In this case, the radar dome was replaced and the aircraft is back in service.”
The airline yesterday welcomed the arrival of its third ATR 72-600 aircraft, configured with 68 seats and equipped with a higher standard of comfort, including in-flight entertainment.
With the arrival of the new ATR 72-600, Caribbean Airlines will be able to increase capacity on the airbridge, offering customers more options and flexibility of travel between Trinidad and Tobago.
This aircraft joins the other two ATRs already on the domestic route where they have been proving their operational efficiency, the airline said in a statement.
Robert Corbie, acting chief executive officer of Caribbean Airlines, said: “The arrival of this third ATR is a significant milestone, as CAL moves toward a streamlined fleet of turbo-prop, narrow-body and wide-body aircraft. With this eventual streamlining, we will see increased efficiency in the utilisation of flight crew and maintenance resources.”
Chairman of CAL, Rabindra Moonan underscored the value of the investment saying, “While any aircraft acquisition is not a simple process, this represents the deep commitment to viable connectivity for Tobago and the many citizens that rely on the airbridge for their inter-island transport. Additionally, the efficiency of the airbridge is a major factor in growing local and international tourism airlift into the sister isle.
“CAL continues to work closely with our industry partners to build the tourism plant and generate revenues for local reinvestment.”
