CAL plane detained in Barbados; PM says no compromise on safety checks

Barbadian Prime Minister Freundel Stuart has no regrets or apology for detaining a Caribbean Airlines (CAL) plane at Grantley Adams International Airport.

The incident happened recently when Barbadian authorities delayed a CAL flight destined to Kingston, Jamaica for safety checks.

Stuart told Parliament earlier this week his government will not compromise civil aviation security, insisting that no aircraft will be exempt from ramp inspections.

The Barbadian leader was responding to complaints from his Jamaican counterpart, Bruce Golding, who expressed concerns about the incident at a time when Jamaica is under pressure to allow the Barbados-based Caribbean low budget airline, REDjet, to fly to Jamaica.

Speaking in Parliament during debate to amend the Civil Aviation Act, Stuart Stuart made it clear that “it was a routine check.”

He insisted that ramp inspections are routine and form part of the safety regime which his government fully supports.

“These are procedures that have to be followed and ultimately Barbados has to make sure it complies with the obligations to which it is signed under international conventions and in accordance with the laws that govern civil aviation here in Barbados and the conventions that govern civil aviation regionally,” he said.

Stuart said if aircraft inspectors have to detain an aircraft because they are not satisfied that the safety requirements are being complied with "they will have the fullest support of the government of Barbados".