The aircraft covered the Cali-Riohacha route.
Colombia News.
An emergency case in the area of the company Viva Air, exposed through a filtered audio on social networks, has sparked strong questions against the airline.
The episode would have occurred during a flight that departed from the Alfonso Bonilla Aragón airport in Cali to the municipality of Riohacha, La Guajira. A flight time of one hour and 20 minutes under normal conditions.
See: The ‘fight’ between Avianca and Viva Air Colombia: “Repainting old planes”
However, in the middle of that route and due to apparent bad weather conditions, the crew of the aircraft would have made dangerous maneuvers that put the lives of the passengers at risk, apparently changing destinations on several occasions.
According to the person who recorded the audio, the aircraft did not have enough fuel to deviate from the route as it would have done before landing.
The narrator of the events assured that a plane declared an emergency with 800 kilograms of fuel and the aircraft in question landed with 200.
«I with the minimum that I have landed (in fuel) are 2,000 or 1,800 kilograms, these men landed with 200 kg, they did not kill themselves because it was not the day, there will be a scandal because all those pilots are fired and the dispatchers too, today there is almost an air tragedy », is heard in the audio.
Below is the audio circulating on social networks.
Viva Air Pronouncement
After the criticism received by the airline for allegedly putting the passengers on that flight at risk, the airline Viva Air spoke out through a statement clarifying the facts.
“It is important to clarify that Viva always flies in compliance with all the requirements established by the Colombian Aeronautical Regulations regarding issues such as the amount of fuel required for its planning. In this sense, each flight has a special preparation and always carries fuel to go to the destination airport, additional fuel to proceed to an alternate airport in case the destination airport is closed, and support depending on the weather conditions for the flight. flight”, reads the document signed by the aviation company.
The company assured that the aircraft in question had enough fuel to take more time in the air than expected on the Cali-Riohacha flight.
“Foreseeing that, although the flight had an expected duration of 80 minutes, the plane had fuel for more than 180 minutes of travel, that is, more than double the time planned to comply with the itinerary,” the statement said.
He also clarified that during the flight the engines of the plane that suffered the emergency were not turned off: “Likewise, it has been erroneously suggested that the aircraft’s engines were turned off during the flight to save fuel. The company is emphatic in clarifying that this procedure was not carried out. The company has safety as its main axis of action”, they expose from the directives of the aviation company.
Finally, they stated that the travelers were able to reach their destination on a later flight.
«To transfer the passengers to their original destination, Riohacha, a subsequent flight was scheduled that took them to their destination without incident. From Viva, passenger safety is the most important thing, and that is why it complies with strict protocols in each of its operations,” the message concluded.
eye! ? In aviation, safety is the most important thing, that’s why at Viva we comply with all the protocols established by the authorities. A #InformedTraveller Always validate the source of information to avoid inaccuracies.
Here more details of flight 8332 ?? pic.twitter.com/QZl1mGXfr8
— Long live Fly More! (@VivaAirCol) October 19, 2022
Cover photo: @nicolaslarenas
You may be interested in:
