Providenciales, 09 Apr 2015 – When an InterCaribbean Airways flight was turned back from the JAGS McCartney International Airport in Grand Turk on Tuesday, Magnetic Media got word. No one on the flight understood the reason the plane had to circle back to Providenciales but we now learn from the Terminal and Marketing Manager of the Airports Authority that a fire in Grand Turk forced a half hour shut down of the airport. There was seemingly no fire truck to cope with a blaze in the North Backsalina area where a shack and vehicle were caught fire. The airport’s fire crew responded and with a shortage of manpower left at the aerodrome at the JAGS McCartney, the airport had to be closed based on Civil Aviation standards.
Lavern Reynolds said: “Normal operations of a Category Four airport requires five fire fighters; of the five fire fighters that were on duty three reported to fire incident reducing the Airport Category. The Airport was temporarily closed for the time period. All domestic flights bound for Grand Turk had to be rerouted in order to facilitate the emergency. The fire crew returned to their posts and airport operations resumed shortly thereafter.”
