File
An American Airlines plane being towed by an emergency vehicle at the Sangster International Airport in Montego Bay, St James, in this October 2005 file photo. Last Tuesday, an AA plane bound for Miami, Florida, from Kingston's Norman Manley International, was forced to fly to the Sangster Airport to refuel, as the Kingston facility reportedly ran low on fuel.

Janet Silvera, Senior Tourism Writer

WESTERN BUREAU:

It remains unclear if the Norman Manley International Airport ran out of JET-A fuel on Tuesday morning, causing an American Airlines flight destined for Miami, Florida, to reroute to the Sangster International Airport in Montego Bay for fuel.

Some 140 American Airlines passengers scheduled to depart at 6:40 on Tuesday morning were delayed for hours and did not reach Miami International Airport until after midday, after the aircraft had been refuelled in the tourism capital, according to Yvonne Pearson, country director of American Airlines.

Pearson said she was first told that there was no fuel, then was told there were problems with a valve.

"However, after waiting 45 minutes and getting no fuel, the plane was deployed to MoBay, so I really don't know what the real story is," she said.

Pearson said that of the 140 passengers on board, 135 of them were connecting passengers who either had to be accommodated in hotels in the United States or placed on other carriers, incurring a cost to the airline, or rerouted on other American Airlines planes.

Checks made with Chevron, the fuelling facility that supplies Air BP Fuel, the people contracted to provide JET-A fuel to American Airlines, revealed that fuel had run low.

"But, we didn't run out of fuel. There were complications with pneumatic valves," said Ashton Ramsay, manager of the plant.

He added that as a result, they were forced to advise that the airplane refuel in Montego Bay.

He explained that though infrequent, such mechanical problems did occur.