The presidential aircraft carrying Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva was forced to circle the air for around five hours after experiencing a technical issue.
The incident happened on the night of October 1, 2024, shortly after the presidential VC-1 aircraft, a modified version of the Airbus A319CJ, left Mexico City, where the president had been on an official visit for the past two days.
The main commitment was the inauguration of the country’s new elected president, Claudia Sheinbaum, according to the Presidência da República website.
According to RadarBox, which tracks flights globally, the presidential aircraft departed Mexico City Airport (MEX) at 17:19 local time. The technical issue arose while the aircraft was still in air, according to a source from the Brazilian government speaking to G1 Política.
On October 1, 2024, Agência Brasil, the country’s national agency, released a statement citing Marcelo Kanitz Damasceno, Brazil’s Commander of the Air Force, who said once the problem was resolved, the pilots waited until they had used enough fuel “to return to the same aerodrome as the takeoff, with a change of aircraft and return to Brasilia”.
16 people were onboard the presidential aircraft, including officials, ministers and crew. The names of the presidential entourage members who accompanied Lula have not been released, according to Agência Brasil’s latest statement issued the same day.
The aircraft flew in circles for around five hours to release fuel, staying at an average height of approximately 3.8 kilometers above the ground, according to data from flight tracking website FlightAware.
At around 22:19 local time, the aircraft landed safely at Felipe Ángeles International Airport (NLU), located an hour from Mexico City. No injuries have been reported. On October 2, 2024, Lula and his team returned to Brazil on a different aircraft.
The reason for the technical issue is currently unknown. However, G1 Política has reported that some of Lula’s team thought the incident could have been caused by a bird strike.