The Tribune

By LYNAIRE MUNNINGS

Tribune Staff Reporter

lmunnings@tribunemedia.net

LYNDEN Pindling International Airport flight departures and arrivals were reportedly delayed due to system challenges at air traffic control.

The system challenges were allegedly attributed to air traffic control issues at the Miami Air Route Traffic Control Centre, however officials could not be contacted for confirmation.

Jeffrey Simmons, a passenger due to be on a British Airways flight to London on Saturday afternoon, told this newspaper yesterday that his flight was unexpectedly cancelled.

He understands that due to system challenges, there were significant airline traffic congestion and flight delays.

“I spoke to a colleague of mine from Jamaica who’s also travelling to where I was going, taking a different route and she was stuck in Miami,” he said yesterday.

“Then I spoke to someone else I know who is supposed to be doing the same thing and he was stuck in New York. And so, what I found out because you know I have some relationship with air traffic and all of that, is that apparently, they had some issues in Miami.”

In noting the challenges, Mr Simmons said that the malfunctions prohibited Miami’s air traffic control to accommodate the large volume of traffic in the airspace, and as a result, many flights locally were delayed on Saturday.

“When British Airways arrived here yesterday (Saturday), they couldn’t land, so they had to actually go to Cayman Island, and from there they went back onto London,” he told The Tribune yesterday.

“What I understood was there was some issue with the air traffic in Miami because see what happens is that here in Nassau we don’t really … Our air traffic controllers are not responsible for flights, they don’t control flights above 10,000 ft.

“So anything in The Bahamas above 10,000 ft, Miami deals with, so our air traffic controllers don’t deal with that. If their (Miami) radar is not properly functioning, then that means they have to cut down on the volume of traffic they allow into the airspace and I think that’s more their issue from yesterday (Saturday).”

The Tribune was unable to confirm whether flight arrivals and departures were back to normal.

This newspaper contacted an official at Nassau Airport Development (NAD), however a response was not issued up to press time.

In January, Lynden Pindling International Airport experienced similar challenges, as almost 700 flights departing at the time were delayed due to system challenges.

At the time, it was revealed that these challenges were a result of air traffic control issues with the En Route Automation Modernisation (ERAM) system at the Miami Air Route Traffic Control Centre, responsible for operating airspace for commercial flights over Florida and parts of The Bahamas.”