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Flights resume at CJIA as runway lights restored
The Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA) runway
Kaieteur News – Flights have resumed at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA) as the damaged runway lights have been repaired and are now operational.
“Several flights are scheduled to land at the airport this evening,” CJIA said in a statement on Monday night.
The airport said it will “undertake a thorough evaluation of the current lightning protection system to enhance resilience against future lightning strikes.”
Meanwhile, earlier Monday, CJIA said that it had successfully reinstated one of two independent circuits of the runway lights, thereby allowing for the resumption of night flights at the airport.
In that update, the airport said that the airlines have been notified through a Notice to Airmen (Notam).
“Efforts are underway by the maintenance team to restore the second circuit, albeit hindered by the continuous flow of flights that were redirected yesterday (Sunday),” the airport said.
On Sunday night, several incoming flights to the CJIA were diverted to other jurisdictions after heavy rains accompanied by a thunderstorm knocked out power at the country’s main airport.
The heavy rainfall with thunder and lightning caused several Guyana Power and Light (GPL) and CJIA transformers to be damaged and resulted in the airport’s lighting being inoperable.
The runway is equipped with two independent circuits, each of which can facilitate aircraft landings.
“Regrettably, both the primary and alternate circuits were impacted. The airport’s maintenance team with the support of GPL are currently on the ground, working to rectify the issues,” the CJIA said in a statement on Sunday.
Kaieteur News understands that the airlines are poised to resume night operations promptly. Management of the airport thanked the airlines and passengers for understanding the situation.
Meanwhile, CJIA disclosed that the airport maintenance crew with assistance from Guyana Power and Light (GPL) personnel has been working diligently to replace damaged runway cables and transformers. Four cable sections and five transformers have since been identified and replaced.
Further, the airport said that it has accommodated ten flights, comprising a private aircraft, a cargo plane, and eight passenger flights.
Additionally, the Department of Public Information reported that investigations are ongoing to identify the root cause of the malfunction in the two independent circuits. This was announced by Public Works Minister Juan Edghill.
“The first thing we have to do is find out what went wrong because we have a lightning protection system and we have two circuits. In case one goes out we have the next one. But in this case, both went out…We have to develop measures to prevent that from reoccurring,” the DPI quoted the minister as saying.
American Airlines, JetBlue, and Copa Airlines have all rerouted, rescheduled, and coordinated alternative flight arrangements to minimise disruptions and accommodate the situation.
All flights were scheduled to arrive/ depart by Monday afternoon.
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