Above: a LIAT plane

By the Caribbean Journal staff

High winds in the Eastern Caribbean have led to a number of LIAT flight cancellations in St Vincent and the Grenadines and Dominica, the company said Monday.

Acting Chief Executive Officer Julie Reifer-Jones said the issue was that the company’s planes had certain tailwind limitation set by their manufacturers, meaning that they are not permitted to take off or land when the prevailing winds are beyond these limits.

The winds had affected departures out of St Vincent’s ET Joshua Airport and night landings into Dominica’s Melville Hall airport.

“While we will continue to do our best to provide our customers with a smooth travel experience, we must operate within the limitations set by the aircraft manufacturer and occasionally we will have no alternative but to cancel flights due to the high winds,” she said. “At this time of the year the wind conditions in St Vincent restrict the take-off weight of the aircraft and when this occurs, the company is obliged to restrict the number of bags that can be taken on the aircraft.”

LIAT said its reservations and airport personnel “stand ready to assist customers who have been affected by the cancellations and baggage issues due to the airport limitations.”