(Trinidad Express) The Virgin Atlantic aircraft which was grounded at the ANR Robinson International Airport in Tobago following a mishap on Thursday, finally got off the ground last evening and departed to London, England.
The Boeing 747-400 aircraft, flight VS52, left the Tobago airport with passengers after five of its tires, which were reportedly blown during a mishap shortly before takeoff on Thursday, were replaced.
The aircraft, the Sunday Express was told, was cleared by the Trinidad and Tobago Civil Aviation Authority and given clearance for takeoff.
On Friday, hours after the airport was shut down following the mishap, the airport was reopened.
At 7.25 p.m. on Thursday, the plane was about to depart for London when it entered a taxiway that was closed for construction activity.
The wheels on the aircraft, the Sunday Express was told, rolled over several steel barriers which caused the tyres to burst.
The aircraft then got stuck in a section of the taxiway that was not completely refurbished.
Virgin Atlantic has not released an official statement on the incident, but on Friday sent replacement tyres for the aircraft.
There were 452 passengers and 16 crew members on board at the time of the incident. No one was injured.
Soca artiste Machel Montano was on board the flight on his way to Belgium for the World Music Festival, and was scheduled to travel back to London to perform at a concert.
Montano and members of his entourage left Tobago on another Virgin Atlantic aircraft on Friday afternoon.
