Ali demands apology from Caribbean Airlines for showing “controversial map”

TIMES INT'L

A Caribbean Airlines flight operated by Omni Air International that showed Essequibo as a disputed territory on its flight monitor evoked angry protest from Guyanese passengers, including some government officials, forcing the crew to apologise mid-air on Saturday.

Acting Tourism and Commerce Minister Irfaan Ali

The direct flight to Georgetown had originated in New York. Guyana Times International was told that the airline has been showing the controversial map on its monitor for some time now despite several objections. “This thing is very distasteful and smacks of disrespect to Guyanese and also the wider Caricom,” a passenger on the flight which landed in Guyana on Saturday told this publication.
“This act is totally disgusting. Imagine we are flying over our own country and you have this sort of information being shown on an international aircraft; it is disrespectful,” another passenger commented.
No official of the Foreign Affairs Ministry was immediately available to comment on the issue, but acting Tourism and Commerce Minister Irfaan Ali said the matter was raised with him officially on Saturday and he immediately held discussions with the airline.
Ali said the airline has assured him that it has taken immediate steps to pull the offending map from all its planes. “They also assured me that this matter is being addressed by Caribbean Airlines at the highest level,” Ali told this publication. Noting that the map represents gross disregard for Guyana’s territorial integrity and its people, Ali said he has also demanded an official apology from the airline.
He said too that the airline has assured him that it will investigate the source of the map. This publication was told that following the protest, the flight crew apologised to passengers just before the flight landed.
Caribbean Airlines leased one of the Omni Air aircraft to operate the direct route between Georgetown and New York. Omni Air International a privately owned/ managed U. S.-based certified air carrier is in its third decade of providing air transportation solutions.

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