An American Airlines flight that departed Guyana on Saturday morning, was forced to return and make an emergency landing after experiencing mechanical problems shortly after takeoff.
Stabroek News learnt that the aircraft encountered issues with its cabin pressure, forcing it to return to the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA).
Passengers who were on the Miami-bound flight recounted the ordeal on social media. It was stated that the airplane circled for about two hours in a bid to burn off fuel before it could have landed.
A passenger, Yollanda Grimmond, in a Facebook post, said that upon entering the plane, the cabin was warm. She recounted that some passengers became claustrophobic during the flight and after the decision was made to return to the CJIA, they landed without any hiccups. However, the airline failed to offer passengers any form of compensation.
“After coming off the flight, American Airlines had no system set up to compensate you. Some people have nowhere to go to get a shower after all that sweating,” she lamented.
Stabroek News yesterday reached out to American Airlines but all efforts were futile. Calls made to the company’s after-hours duty manager went unanswered.
In light of the issue experienced, the airline is required to submit a report to the Guyana Civil Aviation Authority. The agency, after reviewing the information provided in the report, will determine whether an investigation would be warranted.
