Stranded Dynamic Airways passengers arrive in Guyana – Gouveia

Cancelled flights

More than 280 Guyanese passengers who were affected by the delay of Dynamic Airways’ flights have finally arrived in Guyana from the John F Kennedy Airport in New York after being stranded there since early Saturday morning, the company’s local representative Captain Gerry Gouveia confirmed during a press conference on Monday.

These passengers were among the 600 travellers stranded from Saturday to Monday at the JFK Airport and at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA) in Guyana.

Gouveia further explained that there were two 767-300 jumbo jet aircraft placed on stand-by by Dynamic Airways in case of an emergency with the primary aircraft. He stated that on Saturday, a ground handling truck at the JFK Airport crashed into the airplane and damaged its engine shell.

The “backup” airplane, he continued, was activated for travel, but after three flights to Guyana it developed mechanical problems with the flaps and had to be taken in for maintenance.

Gouveia said it was believed that the secondary plane’s mechanical problems would have been short term, but upon further technical checks, they discovered that that would not be the case.

Meanwhile, the disheartened passengers complained that the airline made no effort to relate the exact cause of the delay and instead resorted to treating them harshly. One such passenger was a young woman who was stranded in New York and missed her wedding here in Guyana on Saturday.

In response, Captain Gouveia noted that initially the team did not have any information on the accident or how long the maintenance would take; this he said was the reason they were unable to relate any information to their customers.

“We are extremely sorry and apologise to the passengers for the delay and the cancellations. Both Dynamic Airways and Roraima Airways are committed to safety and the safety of our passengers, and we cannot fly that aircraft until it is cleared by the maintenance team,” he said, adding that they were extremely sensitive about the effect the delay would have on passengers.

“….we are sorry that it happened at this time when Guyanese are coming home for Christmas, but this was beyond our control,” Gouveia noted.

He pointed out that the airline was committed to Guyana and it opted to divert another 767 airplane to fly passengers from New York to Guyana. “Like most airlines we do have challenges and we work very hard to recover from those challenges,” Gouveia stated.

However, he was quick to brush off assertions that the airline service did not have an office in New York or in the airport, stating that they do have an administrative office. Meanwhile, he reminded that Roraima Airways remained the face of Dynamic Airways in Guyana and all queries could be made there.

Gouveia stated that the aggrieved passengers would be compensated in accordance to the company’s legal obligations within air transport laws. He noted that the bride who missed her wedding on Saturday in Guyana as a result of the flight cancellation would be offered a free weekend trip to Arrowpoint Resort and a trip to the Kaieteur Falls.

“I have instructed my staff to find her, so I could meet her and her husband and maybe offer them a honeymoon package at Arrowpoint Resort and a trip to Kaieteur Falls,” he said.