Panday homecoming delayed

FORMER opposition leader Basdeo Panday will return home either today or tomorrow due to the postponement of yesterday’s BWIA flight from London’s Heathrow Airport.

BWIA officials told Newsday that its BW 900 flight from London, which was due to arrive at Piarco International Airport at 4.30 pm yesterday, was cancelled yesterday because the aircraft developed “mechanical problems.”

Passengers on that flight informed Newsday that the plane had left its terminal at Heathrow International Airport and was heading for the runway when it stopped abruptly, causing things to fall and returned to the terminal.

BWIA officials said because of the high priority which the airline places on the safety of its passengers, the flight was cancelled in order to facilitate repairs to the plane.

They added that another one of BWIA’s A-340 Airbuses will be departing for London tomorrow and will bring on it the passengers who were supposed to arrive on yesterday’s flight.

The officials apologised to passengers for any inconvenience which they may have experienced as a result of the flight’s postponement.

However, close to 100 passengers, particularly those in economy class complained last night that they were not put up in hotels for the evening and had to spend the night at the airport. Only first class passengers were provided with accommodation, they said.

Opposition Leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar confirmed that Panday had been delayed and the welcome ceremony that had been planned for him at Piarco has been postponed. Persad-Bissessar said she was uncertain whether Panday and his wife Oma would be on today’s BWIA flight from London and would speak with him later to find out when he would be coming home.

Meanwhile, the Communications, Transport and General Workers Union (CATTU) yesterday slammed plans to privatise BWIA and claimed that it first exposed those plans on July 5 which would “cost about 800 jobs and the rights of the unions.” However BWIA officials have said no decision has been made to date regarding the retrenchment of workers. Aviation Communication and Allied Workers Union (ACAWU) president Curtis John has also said no plans have been discussed regarding the retrenchment of workers at BWIA. John has said that ACAWU would not have a problem with retrenchment once the workers are treated fairly and a certain level of retrenchment might be necessary to ensure BWIA’s viability.

CATTU general secretary Raymond Small accused BWIA of negotiating in bad faith with the airline’s unions and claimed the move to privatise BWIA was similar to what transpired when current CEO Peter Davies was at the helm of Sabena Airlines in Belgium.

Small said privatisation would not help BWIA and plans to meet with the other unions representing the airline’s workers to discuss a common approach towards the completion of the negotiations with BWIA’s management. He also said CATTU would soon decide whether to carry these negotiations “beyond the boundaries of BWIA.”

On Monday, Davies confirmed a statement made 24 hours earlier by PNM vice-chairman John Donaldson that Government planned to privatise BWIA. ACAWU has also expressed opposition to this announcement.