Wings clipped over $25m debt .....Passengers stranded in Miami BY JUHEL BROWNE Guardian 05.21.03 In an attempt to get BWIA to pay off a TT$25 million debt, the owners of most of the airline's entire fleet, International Leasing Finance Corp, yesterday seized one of its aircraft in Miami. The move left more than 100 passengers stranded overnight at the Miami International Airport. BWIA leases the plane, a Boeing 737-800, as well as five of its six other 737s and the Airbus Industry A340-300 from ILFC. The seizure prompted the airline's chief executive officer, Conrad Aleong, to call Trade and Industry Minister Kenneth Valley and inform him of the incident. Valley is a member of the Cabinet Inter-Ministerial Committee appointed by Prime Minister Patrick Manning to review BWIA's operations. "Mr Aleong spoke with me. The matter is being taken care of," Valley said when contacted last night. Valley also pledged the Government's support. Both Valley and BWIA spokesman Clint Williams confirmed Manning was informed of the situation. BWIA is presently in negotiations with the Government for a TT$116.8 million State loan, part of which is meant to clear its debt with ILFC. The BWIA 737, designated BW483, has been indefinitely impounded in Miami. "You have to remember, they (ILFC) have been very patient with us with regard to the lease payment," Williams said. Some 108 passengers were scheduled to take the flight. Williams said the passengers overnighted at the airport's hotel at the airline's expense, and are expected to arrive in Trinidad today. He could not confirm whether the passengers or crew were on board when the aircraft was seized, but he said BWIA hopes to have the aircraft back in operation within the next few days. "BWIA's Board and management are working with the lessors and the Government of Trinidad and Tobago to make funds available to bring the outstanding lease payment up to date to facilitate lease of the aircraft back into service," he said. Asked if the situation could result in other seizures or increased scrutiny by the US Federal Aviation Administration, Williams said: "We are dealing with this as one isolated indecent with one aircraft. "We will be flying our full schedule tomorrow (today). The schedule is flexible so that you can operate with six (737s) instead of seven." *************************************************** The owner of Roger's Trinbago Site/TnTisland.com Roj (Roger James) escape email mailto:ejames@xxxxxxxxx Trinbago site: www.tntisland.com Carib Brass Ctn site www.tntisland.com/caribbeanbrassconnection/ Steel Expressions www.mts.net/~ejames/se/ Mas Site: www.tntisland.com/tntrecords/mas2003/ Site of the Week: http://www.caribbeanfloral.com TnT Webdirectory: http://search.co.tt *********************************************************