interCaribbean Airways ATR42-500 diverts to St Kitts from Antigua amid bad weather

St Kitts and Nevis: interCaribbean Airways ATR 42-500 (IWY631) diverted to St Kitts from its operating route Tortola to Antigua due to the bad weather conditions at the VC Bird International Airport. The scheduled flight discovered turbulence on Sunday morning and decided to change the direction amid concerns about safety.

The flight of interCaribbean Airways ATR42-500 departed from Tortola at 1: 24 and was scheduled to arrive after a one-hour journey. However, the weather conditions have made the flight divert their directions and land at Robert L Bradshaw International Airport.

The reports suggested that the passengers were safe and the flight had landed safely at St Kitts and Nevis amid bad weather conditions. This is not the first time; the flights have been diverted to St Kitts and Nevis from their scheduled journey due to the bad weather conditions.

Last year in January 2023, two American Airlines were diverted to St Kitts which were scheduled to land at St Maarten. The bad weather conditions and other situations have made the plane divert its direction. In addition to that, American Airlines which was scheduled to land at Antigua diverted to St Kitts on 9 February 2024 due to the bad weather conditions.

On the same day, the interCaribbean Airways had also changed its way from Antigua to St Kitts due to the bad weather conditions.

Notably, the weather conditions of Antigua and Barbuda are unsettled as the flash flood warning has been issued for low-lying and flood-prone areas until Sunday. As per the reports, moderate to major flooding was expected to occur in some parts of the country. Heavy rainfall has also been predicted for the country due to the conditions of thunderstorms.

The met department stated that cloudy weather with periodic light to moderate rainfall has also occurred in Antigua and Barbuda. The chances of heavy showers to thunderstorms have also been predicted for the country, creating gusty winds and flash flooding.

Notably, Antigua and Barbuda is all set to host the much-anticipated 4^th International Conference of Sustainable Island Developing States from May 27 to 30, 2024 in order to discuss ways of enhancing efforts against climate change.

Over 3000 delegates are expected to visit the conference who will discuss opportunities for small island developing states and enhance their efforts for the several challenges.

Meanwhile, the 2024 Hurricane Season has been approaching the region, and the Met Department predicted that it would remain ‘superactive’. A total of 22 hurricanes have been named for this year and stated that out of these 6 will remain strong.