MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Lula's presidential airplane makes emergency landing

The technical problem affecting the Airbus A329CJ is still to be detailed

Brazilian Air Force's (FAB) VC-1 aircraft carrying President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva spent five hours flying in circles, presumably to burn fuel, before making an emergency landing due to technical problems at the Felipe Angeles International Airport, a commercial terminal serving Mexico Valley metropolitan area, Agencia Brasil reported.

According to the FAB, the aircraft had a technical problem after take-off on Tuesday afternoon and had to spend around five hours flying in circles to dump fuel, at an average altitude of around 3,800 meters from the ground, according to data from the FlightAware platform. It eventually landed at around 10.19 pm local time.

The technical problem affecting the Airbus A329CJ is still to be detailed. However, the safety procedures were considered successful.

Lula spent two days in Mexico attending several engagements, chiefly Claudia Sheinbaum's inauguration. The president and his entourage will board another FAB aircraft to Brasilia on Wednesday, it was also announced.

#Entérate El Airbus A319 de la Fuerza Aérea de Brasileña (FAB) que transportaba al mandatario Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, sufrió un problema técnico momentos después de su despegue en el Aeropuerto Internacional Felipe Ángeles (#AIFA). La aeronave se mantuvo realizando patrones de… pic.twitter.com/YZyLqr4SXm

— EnElAire (@Enel_Aire) October 2, 2024