MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Bolivia's main airport out of operation for hours

The former FedEx aircraft blocked Viru Viru's runway for a few hours after a landing gear problem

An undercarriage failure resulted in a Transporte Aéreo Boliviano (TAB) McDonnell-Douglas freighter blocking the only runway at Santa Cruz de la Sierra's Viru Viru International Airport early Thursday. It was not until way past dawn that operations went back to normal. In the meantime, most flights were diverted to Asunción (Paraguay).

Bolivian Air Navigation and Airports (Naabol) “informs the general population that today Thursday, December 5, at hours 01:03 [GMT-4] at the Viru Viru International Airport in Santa Cruz, an operational safety event occurred, where the aircraft with registration CP2791 M10-30F of Transportes Aéreos Bolivianos [TAB], suffered an incident in the landing process, obstructing runway 16/34,” the official statement read. Opened in 1983, Viru Viru is Bolivia's main intercontinental hub.

Deputy Transport Minister Enrique Ponce de León ordered an investigation into the incident. “We have proceeded, consequently, to carry out the necessary verifications and investigations by the aeronautical authority,” he said at a press conference from his office in La Paz.

“The different airlines operating in Viru Viru were informed, so that they can make use of their alternate airports,” the official also pointed out. The resumption of operations was communicated “in a timely manner” around 8.30 am. ”The airport (Viru Viru International Airport), at the moment, is fully operable and has been authorized to resume all aircraft landing and take-off operations,” he stressed.