– after passenger opens plane’s emergency exit at Timehri

Minister Robeson Benn said that the flight crew of the Delta aircraft on which a male passenger opened the emergency exit when the plane landed from New York on Friday morning at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA), should be sanctioned.

Benn related to Stabroek News yesterday that he has asked the Guyana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) to review the matter. He added that the flight crew should have more control over the passengers on the plane.

“We’re certainly reviewing the matter and the United States Aviation Authority is also looking at it because we have received calls from them,” Benn said.

Meanwhile, CEO of the CJIA Ramesh Ghir told Stabroek News that the man was transferred to Eve Leary Headquarters from the Timehri Police station where he was initially held and investigations are continuing into the matter.

He explained that the airport was not part of the investigation, which is being conducted between the police and Delta.

Ghir said the plane was grounded as a result of the de-activation of the emergency exit and parts and engineers where flown in to fix it. The plane has since left again with 177 passengers.

Ghir said no sanctions will be pressed against the airline, but emphasized that an investigation will be carried out to ascertain what exactly happened. The investigation is also to determine whether the passenger was intoxicated, as initial reports stated.

According to sources, the Guyanese citizen returning from New York, opened the emergency exit door after the flight DL 383 landed and went down the emergency exit slide and onto the CBJ airport tarmac. The man was reportedly in the first class cabin of the aircraft. He apparently became agitated after no instructions were being issued to the passengers after the plane landed and while it waited for GCAA clearance.

Owing to the grounding of the plane after the incident, Delta Airlines provided accommodation for its outgoing passengers who had flights booked.