A group of 180 Cuban passengers, including children and elderly adults, was stranded for over 24 hours at Reina Beatriz International Airport in Aruba after the plane they were on, traveling from Cuba to Guyana, suffered a bird strike shortly after takeoff.
The travelers had to spend the night inside the airport, unable to leave the premises because they did not have the necessary visas to enter Aruban territory.
The incident occurred on Monday, October 12, and was resolved on Tuesday, October 13, when the aircraft from Aruba Airlines was able to continue its journey to Guyana around 7:00 p.m., as confirmed by the local media 24ora in an update published on Wednesday.
A bird strike forced the plane to be grounded
The problem began shortly after the aircraft took off from Cuba. During the flight, a bird struck the front of the plane and caused damage to the nose cone.
Despite the incident, the pilot decided to continue on to Aruba, where he planned to make a technical stop for refueling before proceeding to Guyana.
However, an inspection conducted after landing revealed that the component had been damaged.
The Aruba Civil Aviation Department determined that the aircraft was not in a condition to continue flying and prohibited its departure, even without passengers, until the necessary repairs were made.
The decision left the 180 Cubans unable to continue their journey while the airline sought a solution to transport them to Guyana.
No visas to leave the airport: 180 beds for overnight stays
The situation became complicated because the passengers did not have the required visas to enter Aruba, an autonomous territory of the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
Due to the inability to leave the airport, local authorities activated an assistance operation to support the travelers.
The Crisis Management Office (CMO), in coordination with airport staff and the Red Cross, set up a space within the facilities and provided 180 camping beds, as well as sheets, pillows, and personal hygiene items.
Among those affected were men, women, minors, and elderly individuals who had to spend the night waiting for a solution.
Aruba Airlines provided food and coordinated with the authorities to facilitate the necessary arrangements to resume the journey.
According to 24ora in their coverage, the authorities even organized the removal of the beds during the early hours of Tuesday to allow the airport to resume its normal operations.
A piece that arrived from abroad made it possible to continue the journey
On Tuesday, Aruba Airlines assessed various options to transport passengers, including the arrival of another aircraft from Venezuela.
According to information released by the Aruban media, the company also managed the transfer of a replacement part from abroad to repair the affected aircraft.
The technicians dismantled the damaged section in the morning and waited for the arrival of the new part, which was transported on a cargo plane in the afternoon.
Once the repair was completed, the aircraft was authorized to take off.
Finally, at around 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday, October 13, the plane left Aruba with 180 passengers on board, heading to Guyana, bringing an end to a wait of more than a day, reported 24ora.
While the assistance operation was underway, complaints about the conditions in which the Cuban travelers were staying at the airport circulated on social media.
"We have been lying on the floor for more than 36 hours with no response," stated one of the messages shared on Facebook on Tuesday, October 13th. Another complaint, attributed to one of the affected individuals, expressed the passengers' desperation: "What we need is to be taken out of Aruba right now, because we have already been lying on the floor for a whole day."
The publications also reported a lack of information and difficulties accessing adequate rest and food conditions. These accounts contrast with reports from the local press about the assistance organized by the authorities in Aruba and the airline. However, it has not been possible to directly verify the testimonies or to understand the passengers' assessments after they managed to continue their journey to Guyana.
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