A hot air balloon recently fell on Medellin’s José María Cordova International Airport’s apron in Colombia. According to a video posted on social media, the balloon was close to hitting a Boeing 737 from Copa Airlines that was parked there at the moment of the incident. What happened?
Not an isolated incident
It is the second time in less than a month that a balloon lands at the Medellin International Airport in Colombia. On Tuesday, December 28, around 13:20, local time, another balloon fell on top of a jet bridge, nearly missing two aircraft from domestic carriers, Viva Air and Avianca. There were no damages or operational impacts related to this incident.
Then, on Sunday, January 16, a second hot air balloon fell inside the airport. Unlike the first incident, this one was a rather large hot air balloon. As it can be seen in a social media video, the lighter-than-air aircraft nearly landed on top of a Copa Airlines’ Boeing 737 plane, parked at the local airport. Currently, Copa Airlines flies between five and six times a day between Panama City and Medellin, offering nearly 6,500 seats per week between both cities. There were no delays related to this incident.
What did the authorities say?
Having an uncontrolled air balloon landing inside an airport could pose a significant threat to airline activities.
Following the two incidents at Medellin International Airport, the local authorities issued statements addressing the subject. Fredy Jaramillo, the airport manager, said,
“We are urgently calling not only the people that threw this balloon but to everyone that still undertakes this activity, for them to see the danger the activity poses. We ask them to be more responsible.”
The airport authorities added,
“We insist that these activities should not be undertaken, especially in areas so close to the airport, because (the balloons) can become an accident or incident risk, impacting the operations.”
The Avianca incident
On December 31, 2020, Avianca’s flight AV29 hit a balloon full of New Year’s Eve streamers as it was descending into Bogota’s International Airport. The crew managed to land safely despite the streamers and the balloon getting tangled on the airplane.
At that time, Colombia’s civil aviation authority issued a statement, calling for people to stop firing pyrotechnic near airports. Aerocivil Colombia said,
“Please contribute to the operational safety by avoiding firing pyrotechnic near an airport, because it can affect the air operations by reaching the engine or fuselage of any plane and create a fire.”
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Medellin’s recovery
Colombia has had one of the fastest recoveries worldwide from the COVID-19 pandemic. The country is constantly at the top of every list regarding capacity recovery. In the last couple of years, Medellin has grown quite a lot. It has become the country’s second hub and center of operations for Colombia’s leading low-cost carrier, Viva.
Moreover, as of January 2022, Medellin International Airport has 7,421 scheduled flights from 12 different airlines. The carriers that operate in this airport are American Airlines, Aeromexico, Avianca, JetBlue, Copa Airlines, JetSMART, LATAM, Spirit, Wingo, Air Europa, Easyfly, and Viva.
Finally, compared to January 2020 levels, prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, Medellin has 15.3% more flights and 19.2% more seats, according to data provided by Cirium.
What do you think about the balloon incidents at Medellin International Airport? Let us know in the comments below.