Owen Roberts International Airport, Grand Cayman

The Cayman Islands Airports Authority (CIAA), which operates the Owen Roberts International Airport (ORIA) on Grand Cayman and the Charles Kirkconnell International Airport (CKIA) on Cayman Brac, experienced a security incident, 10 August 2023, that occurred at Owen Roberts International Airport.

The security incident occurred when an airline was diverted to Grand Cayman due to the temporary closure of the runway in Montego Bay, Jamaica. All diversion procedures were followed by Airport, Airline and CBC officials, and the 176 passengers on board were directed to a holding area inside the departure hall to await further instructions on continuing their journey.

The wait time was expected to be approximately 3.5 hours, during which time some passengers ventured out of the holding area and mixed with other outgoing passengers in the departure hall, thus creating a security concern. Out of an abundance of caution, and to maintain regulatory requirements, all passengers and personnel inside the departure hall were required to exit and be rescreened at the security check point to ensure the integrity of the airport’s security protocols.

CIAA officials stated, “The safety and security of our passengers is our top priority. Upon the detection of the incident, our trained security personnel acted swiftly to contain the situation and initiate the necessary security procedures. The incident, which affected four airlines, was quickly resolved with an average departure delay of 40 minutes. We are conducting a thorough investigation to understand the circumstances that led to this occurrence and collaborating closely with airport partners and CBC officials.”

The CIAA understands that the rescreening process caused inconvenience to its passengers and sincerely apologise for any disruption to their travel plans. However, these measures are vital to maintain the highest level of safety for everyone travelling through the airport.

The CIAA remains committed to upholding the highest standards of security and safety at Owen Roberts International Airport and will continue to work diligently, along with airport partners, to prevent such incidents in the future and appreciates the cooperation and understanding of its passengers during this time and extends its gratitude to the public and passengers for their ongoing support and patience as they address this matter.