15 hours yesterday, after their plane made an emergency landing.

Duty managers at the Airport said the 190 passengers and 14 crew spent the entire day in the departures lounge after the 4.15 a.m. landing from Cuba.

The Cubana DC-10 was flying from Havana to Madrid when the pilot radioed air traffic controllers in Bermuda reporting smoke in the cockpit. A replacement aircraft, with mechanics on board, finally arrived at 5.35 p.m.

The passengers were able to carry on with their journey to Spain just before 7 p.m.

But engineers were still working on the original plane late last night, hoping it could return to Cuba before midnight.

An Airport spokesman said: "They have found about four probable causes for the smoke in the cockpit.

"As soon as the plane is airworthy again, it will return to Cuba.'' COX DEFENDS NATIONAL PENSIONS SCHEME DELAY GVT Cox defends National Pensions Scheme delay Finance Minister Eugene Cox has defended the Government's decision to delay the National Pensions Scheme by six months.

He said the scheme was now scheduled to start on January 1, 2000, instead of July 1 this year.

And Mr. Cox said the delay would give employers and staff enough time to budget for the private occupational pension plans.

He added: "As a consequence, employer-sponsored pension plans will be required to be registered with the Pension Commission by no later than June 30, 2000, for new plans and December 31, 2000, for existing plans.

"In order to facilitate this, I will shortly be establishing the Pension Commission as an independent body, with suitably experienced board members and staff.'' The Minister said the Commission would be responsible for registering plans and making sure the laws were complied with.

ALLEN HOPEFUL OVER $32M DEAL TO REVIVE HOTEL TOU Allen hopeful over $32m deal to revive hotel Tourism chiefs are hoping to put the finishing touches to a $32 million deal to revive the old Club Med hotel this week.

Officials are flying out to the US for meetings with Atlanta-based developers Camberley.

One financial hitch is still blocking plans for the new 300-room hotel in St.

George's, creating 300 jobs.

But Tourism Minister David Allen said last night he was hoping a "positive announcement'' would be made soon.

He told The Royal Gazette : "All sorts of meetings are taking place and we are at the point where we are trying to finalise the financial arrangements.

Most of the financial package is in place but one last piece of the puzzle is outstanding.

"We are proceeding this week with meetings both in the US and in Bermuda and we will hopefully have something to report soon.

"It's still our intention to have the hotel up and running next year and that means the project would have to begin in earnest this year.''