cargo delay.

The inaugural flight of a charter freight flight from Hartford, Connecticut to Bermuda, bearing merchandise for shelves Island-wide, was postponed last Thursday due to mechanical problems.

Bermuda Forwarders' international air and sea cargo manager William Forbes last night said Express One's aircrafts were not equipped with the appropriate equipment to fly overseas.

"We changed carriers to Kitty Hawk, who will use a Boeing 727-200 stretch plane,'' he explained. "It's bigger than the one we had.'' Two weeks ago it was announced that importers would band together and hire their own cargo plane to alleviate the Island's air freight problems.

About a dozen importers signed on for the $25,000 joint venture with Bermuda Forwarders.

The need for the service arose after Delta Airlines axed its wide-bodied jets for the winter season. This cut air freight capacity by around 80 percent and caused problems for the retail trade, especially for purveyors of fresh produce like fish, meat and flowers.

Last night, Mr. Forbes said the inaugural flight from Boston, Massachusetts, will touch down in Bermuda at 2 p.m.

The plane, which will visit every Thursday, will sit on the runway for about an hour, to load up any exports, before returning to Boston.

"It will run the rest of the winter until Delta starts using their wide-body planes again,'' Mr. Forbes added.