Flight With Indians Departs Jamaica: Ministry of Security Clarifies What Happened
Over 250 passengers and crew members from the chartered flight, registered in Germany, that landed in Jamaica on Thursday left Jamaica on Tuesday morning. Initial reports detailed that there were approximately 218 occupants aboard the flight, but the Ministry of National Security has since confirmed that all 253 occupants had been accounted for.
See footage from the departure below:
The ministry also sought to clarify the misconceptions circulating in the media and the public regarding the unauthorized nature of the flight. In a press release, the ministry reported that the USC GmbH flight received “requisite approvals for operation from Jamaica Civil Aviation Authority,” thus the flight entered the country legally.
It was noted that during a routine screening of the flight, which is done to detect potential security threats and “possible breaches of law and/or regulations,” there were seemingly “anomalies and missing details from its initial permit application.”
However, the required documents to obtain a permit to operate in Jamaica were presented later, according to the press release.
Additionally, the press release disclosed that immigration officials denied entry to the passengers when concerns arose during their processing at the airport.
“Upon landing in Jamaica, it was discovered that there were two passengers on the flight that did not appear on the submitted passenger manifest. This led to further investigations by PICA and based on those enhanced checks, the decision was taken by PICA, not to grant the passengers leave to land in Jamaica,” the ministry noted in the press release.
It continued by stating, “Given the duration of the flight, as well as civil aviation regulations for the minimum rest period, before clearance is given to safely operate, it was deemed impractical to detain the passengers in the plane or at the airport.”
Furthermore, the ministry clarified that the passengers and crew members had reservations at a hotel in downtown Kingston. They were allowed to leave the airport on humanitarian grounds and were escorted to the hotel by law enforcement and immigration officials.
“It was also highlighted that the cost for the accommodation and return is the responsibility of the charter company and not the Government of Jamaica.
