Arrangements are now in place to supervise the departure of the over 200 Indian nationals who were among the passengers who arrived in Jamaica on an unauthorized charter flight last week.
This is according to the Ministry of National Security, which provided an update on the incident today.
The ministry said the USC GmbH flight, a German-registered aircraft, with 253 passengers, including crewmembers arrived in Jamaica legally on Thursday, May 2, 2024, having received the requisite approvals for operation from the Jamaica Civil Aviation Authority.
“Despite having arrangements in place for accommodation and departure from the country, the passengers were refused entry by immigration officials, based on security concerns uncovered during their processing at the airport. Passenger flights are routinely screened by local authorities for security threats, possible breaches of law and/or regulations,” the statement said.
“In this instance, while the Ministry was alerted to the operation of the flight based on what appeared to be anomalies and missing details from its initial permit application, the necessary supporting documents were later supplied to satisfy the requirements for obtaining a permit to operate to Jamaica,” it added.
The ministry stated that upon arrival, two passengers not listed on the manifest were discovered, prompting further investigations by PICA. Based on these checks, PICA decided not to grant them entry.
ROK Hotel stay paid for by Charter Company
Due to flight regulations and practical considerations, detaining passengers on the plane or at the airport was deemed impractical. Therefore, they were escorted to the ROK Hotel in downtown Kingston, where they had reservations, by law enforcement and immigration personnel.
This supervised release aligns with the Immigration Restriction (Commonwealth Citizens) Act and Aliens Act, the ministry said.
In a report from TVJ News over the weekend, it was discovered that many of the passengers who were checked in at the hotel had been roaming freely in the downtown Kingston area over the weekend, without supervision. The report also suggested that some of the passengers had left the hotel entirely.
However, the government of Jamaica said that as of Monday, all passengers were accounted for.
The passengers are currently at the Norman Manley International Airport, awaiting finalization of departure arrangements. The Charter Company is solely responsible for their accommodation and return costs, not the Government of Jamaica.
