‘Hijacked’ Grenada plane lands safely

ST. GEORGE’S, Grenada-OVER 200 passengers landed safely on the ground yesterday (Dec. 30) after their flight from Grenada to Toronto was originally believed to have been hijacked by an upset passenger.

Initial reports out of Grenada were a cause for great concern as one man told local media that his relative had phoned him from the plane and said it was being hijacked.

Fortunately, that report proved to be false as a statement from the operating carrier, Canada’s Skyservice, detailed a very different account of a troubled man attempting to open the plane’s emergency exit.

“At no time was the safety of the aircraft in jeopardy,” Skyservice’s spokeswoman, Sabah Mirza, said. “While the door was never at risk of opening in flight, the flight crew reacted quickly and appropriately.”

The Boeing B757 had left Grenada and made a stop in Barbados before the passenger attempted to release the emergency hatch and it was forced to make an unscheduled landing at the Punta Cana International Airport in the Dominican Republic.

One U.S. Federal Aviation Administration spokesperson said that the pilot of the flight told air traffic controllers in Puerto Rico that there was “a problem with a door” and that the unscheduled stop in the Dominican Republic would have to be made.

At this time the name and nationality of the man who attempted to open the door has not been release, though it was stated that he remains in custody and is being questioned.