Bahamasair’s international flights were unable to take off on Wednesday as the airline’s fleet of aircraft was denied permission to enter the United States, according to one airline manager.
The manager, who asked that his name not be printed, told The Bahama Journal that all of the airlineﾒs Boeing 737 jets were denied entry because of maintenance documentation issues with those aircraft, which violate U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) regulations.
The manager described the situation as minor in the sense that it was small enough to be quickly rectified, but major in the sense that the airline experienced major delays with the international schedule.
In a statement released late Wednesday afternoon, Bahamasair confirmed that there was a delay in service. The statement said as a result of a 12-month maintenance record review mandated by aviation authorities, there was a delay in both international and domestic routes.
The statement said this review is a 10-hour process and that the director of engineering at Bahamasair advised that 50 percent of the fleet was expected to be returned to service at 5:30pm Wednesday evening with the entire fleet being returned to service at 7pm.
The airline apologized to its passengers for the inconvenience and pledged to work diligently to ensure that all passengers reached their destinations on Wednesday.
Bahamasair added that as always the safety of passengers and crew remained the primary concern of the national flag carrier.
By: Stephen Gay, The Bahama Journal
