On Sunday, an in-flight emergency triggered an urgent code transmission from a LIAT Air passenger jet traveling from Georgetown, Guyana to Antigua, just minutes after the aircraft departed its origin airport, according to data compiled by global flight tracking services.
Flight GAO770, the regional carrier’s scheduled service between the two Caribbean-connected destinations, transmitted the transponder code 7700 — the globally recognized aviation signal that alerts air traffic control to a general on-board emergency — as confirmed by flight tracking platform Flightradar24. The aircraft in question, a 50-seat Embraer ERJ-145MP with the registration number V2-LHA, was cruising at an altitude of roughly 5,075 feet and holding a ground speed of approximately 220 knots when the emergency was declared.
Publicly available flight tracking data captured the jet deviating from its planned flight path, executing a turn over coastal waters just off Guyana’s shoreline shortly after departure. Records from the flight tracking service confirm that the regional turboprop jet is permanently operated by LIAT Air for its scheduled inter-island and regional routes.
At the time of the emergency declaration, the flight had been airborne for just 41 minutes, well into its planned journey to the Antigua destination. As of the latest updates, aviation authorities and the airline have not released formal confirmation of what caused the emergency, nor have they confirmed whether the flight crew is diverting back to the original departure airport in Georgetown. It is important to note that while the 7700 squawk code formally alerts controllers to an active emergency, the code itself does not provide any details on the specific nature of the issue facing the aircraft.
LIAT Air, a regional Caribbean carrier, maintains regular scheduled service between the Georgetown and Antigua route. As of Sunday, no additional details on passenger welfare, aircraft status, or the root cause of the emergency have been released to the public.