Lightning and a thunderstorm sometime yesterday afternoon again caused runway lights at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport, Timehri to go out.
Up to press time last night technicians were still battling to solve the problem. All airport traffic was halted with at least one outgoing Liat flight, LI 1870 cancelled.
When contacted around 7:15 last evening Minister of Transport Robeson Benn said that a transformer was burnt and there were breaks in the cable which have affected the entire system.
A team of technicians was immediately called out to deal with the emergency and flight cancellations were expected. When contacted again around 9:30 pm the Minister related that technicians were still working on solving the problem and he confirmed that flights were cancelled. Efforts to contact Airport CEO Ramesh Ghir for a comment proved futile.
On July 22nd, runway lights and the Air Traffic Control Tower at the CJIA were down for a few hours after another lightning storm hit a transformer and the stand-by generator developed radiator problems.
And last Thursday, four incoming flights had to be cancelled after the runway lights went out again. When contacted then, Ghir told Stabroek News that the recent lightning strike of July 22 had affected many pieces of equipment, including transformers. He explained that it had also weakened the cables around the airport.
Ghir had said that although some amount of work had been done, the lighting system was still not up to 100 per cent, although it was good enough to enable an aircraft to land. Ghir also explained that a number of light arrestors (similar to surge protectors) had been damaged leaving the equipment exposed.
Ramesh Ghir
He also said that Airport management is to conduct a complete review of the lighting system before Carifesta gets underway. Further, he stated that the airport had also secured equipment which would be able to test the cables immediately if there was lightning so that they would be better able to identify the exact area which had become exposed to damage. In addition to this, portable runway lights were being secured as a matter of urgency, Ghir said, so there would always be a fall-back plan.
The power failure last month had resulted in an Airport shutdown that affected a number of airlines. Caribbean Airlines (CA) and Zoom flights were not able to land until the wee hours of the morning of the following day.
Some persons who came from Miami had to stay at the Piarco International Airport in Trinidad for hours and a Zoom airline flight coming from Toronto was forced to stop over in Trinidad and arrived after 2 am the following day.
As regards the lights failure last month, head of the Guyana Civil Aviation Authority Zulficar Mohammed had told Stabroek News that the affected GPL transformer powered both locations (Runway lights and the Air Traffic Control Tower). He had said that the incident occurred some time after 2 pm on the said day and the generator was immediately put into operation but then it too shut down after it developed radiator problems. Mohammed said this forced a decision to shut down the airport preventing a Sky Services aircraft from landing on time and affecting other scheduled flights.
The aircraft had eventually landed however. Mohammed had said the situation was rectified some time after 11 pm and the airport declared opened thereafter. He had also said that the generator was removed and arrangements were made to have it fixed; further stating that the generator is old and would be replaced within a couple of months. (Melissa Charles)
Mr Ramesh Ghir said that Airport management is to conduct a complete review of the lighting system before Carifesta gets underway. This is simply not acceptable. The problems must be FIXED and guaranteed to STAY FIXED during Carifesta.
The country could otherwise become a laughing stock of the WI.
My wife was in that Caribbean Airlines flight when the airport circuits developed radiator problems. Her flight circled CJI for some time waiting and hoping they could land. Eventually the flight went all the way back to Piarco,Trinidad and had to wait for a go-ahead to fly back to CJI. A complete waste of passengers time.
If this was to happen during the height of Carifesta then it would be most unfortunate.
I note that portable runway lights are being secured as a matter of urgency and Mr Ghir must be able to assure the Government that this will be a working solution if the main landing lights fail before, during or after Carifesta.
I would like to think that SN’s efforts to contact the Airport CEO for a comment proved futile because he was busy making sure the problem was being fixed.
Only time will tell.
It has been a laughing stock many, many years ago.
When will they become proactive, make a full assesment of the entire and make permanent, proper development to this facility. If Knowledge lacking, seek consultation from knowledgeable and reputable groups, it can be done. There are too many excuses for failures. The future of international travel is depending on a proper facility. Most Airports are prone to lightning and thunderstorms by nature of design and there are safety measures and designs that can be put in place. We have no control over forces of nature but we can take measures to protect ourselves. Airports all over the world suffer lightning and thunderstorms, it is the way it is dealt with determines the outcome.
Isn’t anyone concerned about airline safety? What a shame that we continue to put up with this inefficiency.
Talk about being the laughing stock in the immediate future!!
This is totally unacceptable. Someone should be held accountable for this recurring ‘problem’ where it seems ‘Lightning is always striking”.
Don’t want to sound too critical of anyone or like a ‘knowitall’ (which I’m not) but it seems that whomever is the ‘fixer’ of this thing is not ‘fixing’ it properly! There seems to be no system of ‘quality control’ which should ensure the reliability of the product!
Time for a new ‘fixer’ and if the management can’t see that then Pres. Jagdeo must get ‘all of them’ replaced post haste!! I once had an office manager whose slogan was “Time’s going. Let’s do something before we are told to go!”
Brij – If you see this I’m quoting you!!
Only the other day before the circket this gov’t spend MILLIONS
on this airport.
July 22 the airport lights were down August 11 airport lights
down again in less than a month.
Why stuff like this is not happening in other caribbean countries ??.
Everything seems to be falling apart in the country, what next ??.
Your comment just reminded me: This is what happens without a properly functional/functioning Works Ministry! In the days of the Works Ministry employees (Qualified) did these maintenance works and it was properly done. Now so much is spent on “CONTRACTORS” who do a shoddy job then nothing happens to them. They get the money – the Guyanese public get the ‘what for.’ The government doesn’t go after them to pay back the money they got for the shoddy work! They shouldn’t even be given any more work.
Guyana beleive in patch and go. In the days of Burnham, this would never happen. He made sure that certain entities were in working order for events like carifesta.
We are inviting the world in, and the entry point is not working. That like me inviting you to my house, and can’t get the front door open.
There is no team effort in the country everyone wants to be a hero.
This regime is totally inept and don’t seem to be bothered about the things that make the country look bad.
That’s what you get for the cronyism that has paracuted friends and supporters to postions they have no business being in.
Guyana sinks deeper in the morass of decay.
DO YOU MEAN WE CAN`T GET IT RIGHT YET? SO EVERY TIME WE GET LIGHTNING YOU GET THIS? IT IS UNACCEPTABLE FOR THE ONLY INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT TO BE FUNCTIONING AT THIS LEVEL. IT IS THE DOOR TO GUYANA AND IF THIS IS THE BEST WE CAN OFFER WHEN THERE IS LIGHTNING THEN IT IS NOT FIT FOR PURPOSE. PEOPLE’s LIVES ARE AT RISK.
LET’S STOP SHAMING OURSELVES MAN. HW …WHAT WRONG WITH WE.
Guyana -PPP has thrown Management into the garbage. I do not blame Ghir, he has to work with what is available. The Govt. is wasting millions “”fixing”" and nothing gets “”fixed”". Means the money goes elsewhere. Whilst in the wilderness for 28 moons, they cried corruption. They are now in the midst of destroying a country that is way down the ladder.
Ha Ha we are moving forward Vijaysingh at full speed .
Vijay,
This and the former Govt are doing the exact thing because of scarce resources.
Rather than REPLACE worn out/obsolete equipment/material they take the CHEAPEST way out by FIXING. Fixing is only a very short term solution where OLD equipment/material is concerned.This situation is no where different from the Electricity Company —-the money spent over the past 30 years in repairing OBSOLETE equipment along with Consultant /Management fees could have built a hydropower station with more capacity that the fossil fuel burning equipment.
In many cases, fixing is not cost effective and leads one to conclude, as you did, that “the money goes elsewhere” and “they cried corruption”.
SOLUTION—Stop fixing and replace the Lighting system and have proper safeguards(against lighting etc )in place.FUNDING can be acheived by (1) levying a fee (payable in foreign currency) on all non-holders of Guyana Passport passing through the Airport.(2) Curtail Government/Official Travel-(can’t use Airport if lights not working) (3) Get some of that US$50m from ADUA(they need a fully functioning Airport to operate). (4) BEG.
It’s only time before some other nation makes a sitcom about Guyana for daytime laughs.
GARBAGE!
The only person we can blame for this incident is our favourite friend, mother nature. Thunderstorms and lightening play havoc with all airport systems all over the world. Unless, Mr Ghir holds counsel with mother nature explaining that this behaviour is unacceptable, what else can he do? Even if they installed millions of dollars worth of equipment to remedy this problem, it will most definitely happen again.
The best thing can do is have a structure in place to possibly redirect flights to a domestic runway within Guyana. Just a suggestion and I’m not very sure if a runway can accomadate these kind of heavy duty planes.
As for the power failiure, well, there’s absolutely no excuse for that and this should be resolved as soon as possible.
If any of you are related to mother nature and have a direct dial to this person, please call her and tell her to stop this nonsense.. LOL