[UPDATED] Venezuelan plane makes emergency landing at Piarco

The Airports Authority of TT (AATT) on Thursday confirmed the emergency landing of Venezolana Airlines flight AW1303 which was en route to Caracas from the Piarco International Airport.

In a statement released to media on the incident AATT said shortly after departure at 12.45 pm the flight’s pilot “indicated engine failure and requested permission from air traffic control to return to the Piarco International Airport.”

The authority said emergency agencies were then alerted and were on standby but the aircraft landed safely at Piarco International airport at 1.08 pm.

It added that there were no reports of injuries to the passengers on board. Newsday was informed that were approximately 79 to 80 people on board, including crew.

The authority confirmed the incident did not result in any disruptions to flight operations at the airport.

Newsday received reports yesterday that the flight was forced to make an emergency landing after its captain heard a loud sound and the engine lost power. Venezolana is a low-cost Venezuelan airline with a fleet size of five aircraft.

Newsday has since been informed that passengers were housed at the international lounge at the airport and were allowed to collect their bags from customs. Newsday was also told approval had been given for a rescue aircraft to be dispatched. According to a source, the rescue flight was scheduled to leave TT at 9 pm Thursday night.

AATT said it was conducting investigations into the incident.

This story was originally published with the title "Emergency landing at Piarco" and has been adjusted to include additional details. See original post below.

Newsday has received reports that a flight from Venezuelan airline, Venezolana was forced to make an emergency landing today after its captain heard a loud sound and the engine lost power.

The flight was Venezolana AW 1303 there were approximately 79 to 80 people on board including crew.

Newsday was told the flight’s captain heard a loud sound and realised that the aircraft’s engine was losing power. The paper was also told that the flight was leaving Port of Spain and was heading to Caracas when this occurred.

Venezolana is a low-cost Venezuelan airline with a fleet size of five aircraft.

Look out for more as more information comes to Newsday.