Vaz rejects Jamaican Government role in Conviasa flight delay after diverted landing

Transport Minister Daryl Vaz said he is waiting on a detailed account of what happened after a plane operated by Venezuela’s biggest airline landed in Jamaica on Saturday under circumstances the carrier described as forced.

Vaz’s comments followed allegations from the Venezuelan state-owned Consortium of Aeronautical Industries and Air Services, S.A., better known as Conviasa, that passengers on the rerouted service were left in uncertain conditions for more than eight hours and did not receive adequate attention under international rules for air transport users.

The minister said the information reaching him was that the aircraft came into Jamaica for refuelling. He stressed that any fuel transaction would have been handled privately and not by the Jamaican Government.

“The Government doesn’t supply the fuel, it’s private operators that provide the fuel at both Norman Manley and Sangster,” Vaz told The Gleaner, referring to Jamaica’s two main international airports.

“So, I have to check to see what transpired with that. I am getting a full report,” he added.

Conviasa, in a statement shared on social media, said the situation in Jamaica should not be blamed on its operation or flight crew. The airline said its personnel followed established safety procedures throughout and acted to protect both the passengers and the aircraft.

According to the airline, the commercial flight was travelling from Cancún, Mexico, to Maiquetía, Venezuela, when it was diverted to Jamaica because of unforeseen circumstances. The statement did not explain what caused the diversion.

Conviasa said the aircraft then had to land in Jamaica, where it alleged serious shortcomings in airport services and ground handling. The airline did not identify the specific failures it was alleging.

The carrier also sharply criticised Jamaican authorities, saying they failed to ensure basic passenger assistance, humane treatment and operational support during the incident. Conviasa said that failure worsened the circumstances and subjected Venezuelan citizens to treatment it considered unacceptable.

The airline linked the episode to wider tensions between Jamaica and Venezuela, pointing to Jamaica’s move to acquire Venezuela’s shareholding in Petrojam. Conviasa claimed Jamaica has shown hostility toward the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela and said that conduct forms part of a pattern of actions against Venezuela’s legitimate interests.

Conviasa said it intends to pursue all necessary measures before the relevant national and international authorities to protect affected passengers and establish the facts surrounding the incident.