South African team and ICC officials stranded in Trinidad due to an issue with the Barbados runway
The entire South African contingent, along with ICC officials and the broadcast team, are yet to reach Barbados ahead of the 2024 T20 World Cup final on Saturday, June 29. Logistical issues have marred the entire tournament, and the latest obstacle is an apparent runway closure.
The Grantley Adams airport in Barbados witnessed a failed landing attempt by a small private aircraft, leading to the authorities in the form of the Civil Aviation Authority and the Barbados Police Service launching an investigation.
Since the runway has been closed while the authorities complete their process, the travelers in the Trinidad airport remain stranded.
"It appeared that the landing gear of the private aircraft did not deploy, but it is currently on the runway at GAIA [Grantley Adams International Airport] safely," Sharleen Brown, Corporate Communication Specialist with GAIA, said in a statement.
The aircraft was just about to take off from Trinidad when the information regarding the Barbados runway was relayed to the pilots. This resulted in the passengers being disembarked from the flight and returning to the terminal.
According to a report by ESPNcricinfo, the rescheduled time for the take-off was informed to the passengers as 4:30 PM local time, which amounts to a six-hour delay.
The tournament has witnessed several mishaps when it comes to logistics. Sri Lanka and Ireland were left stranded in Florida after their warm-up game after their flight was delayed by eight hours. Even Afghanistan faced issues while traveling to Trinidad for their semi-final encounter against South Africa after the Super 8 stages.
South Africa will face India in the 2024 T20 World Cup final
The Aiden Markram-led side will have to brush aside all of the discomfort caused by the traveling woes as they gear up to play their first-ever major ICC event final. South Africa ended their semi-final jinx with a resounding nine-wicket win over Afghanistan.
Team India also secured their spot in the final after their win over England in the second semi-final in Guyana. The Men in Blue and the Proteas are both unbeaten in the tournament and have a chance to script history in the coming days.
The final will be played at the Kensington Oval in Barbados on Saturday.