Emergency landing and passenger ordeal
A Plus Ultra flight from Buenos Aires to Madrid was forced to make an emergency landing in Natal, Brazil, on Sunday, leaving more than 400 passengers stranded. The Airbus A330-202, operating flight PJ202, had departed from Buenos Aires at 13:30 local time. About four to five hours into the flight, passengers noticed strong noises and a loss of altitude, prompting the pilot to announce an urgent landing due to a technical failure.[S1][S4]
Passenger Denis Fernández, traveling with his girlfriend, described the tense atmosphere during the descent. The noises grew louder, and the crew appeared concerned. The plane landed in Natal at 17:00, where three fire trucks were waiting. Upon landing, passengers were met with a lack of information and assistance, as Plus Ultra has no operational structure at that airport.[S1][S4]
Passengers denounce abandonment
Fernández said passengers were left without accommodation, food, or water for hours. Many spent the night in the airport or in a hotel parking lot without services. The lack of airline representatives led to protests, with over 300 passengers demanding answers. The pilot eventually appeared, repeating that there was a technical failure and that hotels and food were being arranged, but passengers remained skeptical.[S1][S4]
The airline later informed that a replacement aircraft would arrive on Monday at 18:00, with the flight to Madrid departing at 19:30. However, passengers expressed distrust due to previous unfulfilled promises. Some passengers resorted to contacting the local police due to the absence of company representatives. The situation was described as a total abandonment of passengers.[S1][S4]
Context and airline response
Plus Ultra, a Spanish low-cost airline, began operating between Buenos Aires and Madrid in late June, initially with two weekly frequencies, recently expanded to five. The company stated the flight was diverted for safety reasons and that it was working to resume the itinerary. However, it did not publicly specify the exact nature of the technical issue.[S6]
The incident occurred on a route that Plus Ultra had launched as part of its growth plan, aiming to strengthen air connectivity between Europe and Latin America. The airline had also linked its operations in Argentina to the centenary of the Plus Ultra seaplane flight in 1926. As of now, no official timeline has been given for when passengers will be able to continue their journey.[S6]
