Cayman Airways flight KX793 finally departed New York on Tuesday afternoon after a delay of more than 27 hours, bringing an end to a prolonged disruption that left passengers stranded and saw two of the airline's four Boeing 737 aircraft stuck at John F. Kennedy International Airport for more than 18 hours.

The service had been scheduled to depart JFK for Grand Cayman at 11:45 on Monday, 3 August. The flight eventually departed at approximately 14:59 local time on Tuesday, around 27 hours after its scheduled departure, and was expected to arrive in Grand Cayman at 17:30 local time.

Overnight delay

Airport departure displays at JFK on Monday showed the flight delayed until 21:30. Despite those revised timings, the flight never left New York that evening.

Aircraft VP-CIX had successfully operated the inbound sector, flight KX792, from Grand Cayman on 2 August and was scheduled to operate KX793 back to the Cayman Islands.

In what appeared to be an effort to recover the disruption, a second aircraft, VP-CIW, was repositioned from Grand Cayman to JFK as flight KX3792 on Monday evening. KX3792 is a special-purpose Cayman Airways flight number that has been used previously for operational positioning flights. The aircraft landed at JFK at approximately 20:26 local time, providing sufficient operational time to prepare for the revised departure.

Air traffic control recordings reviewed by The Caymanian Journal (TCJ) capture the crew operating as KX793 receiving clearance in preparation for pushback and departure at approximately 22:35 New York time on Monday, indicating the aircraft had reached the final stages of departure before the operation was abandoned.

VP-CIW ultimately departed JFK at approximately 14:59 local time on Tuesday after spending more than 18 hours on the ground in New York.

Passenger and staff accounts

An anonymous passenger, who independently returned to Grand Cayman aboard an American Airlines flight on Tuesday, told TCJ that the replacement aircraft pushed back from the gate before returning to the stand.

The passenger said travellers remained onboard until after 01:00 New York time before eventually disembarking.

"It was total chaos. We had been at the airport since Monday morning, so to finally get on board late last night and then sit there for two hours going nowhere - people were literally shouting and pleading to get off the aircraft."

The passenger said they were informed both aircraft had suffered electrical faults. TCJ has not independently verified that claim.

The passenger further alleged travellers were not provided with hotel accommodation or compensation and instead remained stranded inside the airport overnight. TCJ has also been unable to independently verify those claims.

Separately, a Cayman Airways source, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to discuss operational matters publicly, told TCJ that both aircraft experienced electrical faults. That information has likewise not been independently verified.

External enquiries

Seeking to determine whether external factors contributed to the disruption, TCJ contacted the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.

A spokesperson said the authority was not aware of any security or weather-related events in the vicinity known to have affected the flight and advised that only Cayman Airways could provide definitive information regarding the circumstances surrounding the disruption.

TCJ also sought comment from Cayman Airways. Olivia Scott-Ramirez, the airline's Director of Marketing and Public Relations, declined to comment, advising that a Passenger Service Advisory (PSA) - an operational notice used to notify airport staff and other stations about passengers or situations requiring special attention - was expected to be issued shortly. No statement had been released by the time of publication.

TCJ also contacted the Cayman Islands Ministry of Tourism and Trade Development, which falls within the portfolio of Deputy Premier Gary Rutty MP. The publication was referred to Gina Matthews, the Government's Chief Policy and Public Relations Officer, who declined to comment, stating she was not sufficiently familiar with the circumstances at that time.

Passenger rights

The Cayman Islands does not operate an airline passenger compensation regime comparable to the European Union's EC261 regulations, and there is no statutory compensation schedule covering delayed flights arriving in or departing from Grand Cayman.

Similarly, United States federal law does not require airlines to provide hotel accommodation or meal vouchers following flight delays. Many airlines voluntarily provide such assistance where a disruption is within the airline's control, although policies vary between carriers.

Because the route between New York and Grand Cayman is an international service, passengers may, in certain circumstances, be able to recover documented financial losses under the Montreal Convention. Such claims relate to proven damages caused by delay - including hotel costs, missed prepaid arrangements and other demonstrable financial losses - and depend on the facts of each case and whether the airline is legally liable.

Developing story

Although KX793 has now departed New York, questions remain over what caused the prolonged disruption, why two of Cayman Airways' four Boeing 737 aircraft were simultaneously stuck at JFK, and what support was provided to affected passengers. At the time of publication, Cayman Airways had not publicly explained the cause of the disruption, although the airline indicated that a statement was forthcoming.

TCJ will update this developing story as further information becomes available.