On Saturday, an Aerolíneas Argentinas flight from Buenos Aires to Ushuaia was diverted to Comodoro Rivadavia due to a bomb threat. The flight landed safely, and after a thorough search, no explosives were found. The aircraft back to Buenos Aires while passengers continued their journey to Ushuaia in a replacement flight.
Buenos Aires Aeroparque to Ushuaia Malvinas Argentinas International Airport
Aerolíneas Argentinas (Aerolíneas) flight AR1882 departed from Buenos Aires Aeroparque (AEP) at 04:46 for the 3:30 hour flight south to Ushuaia Malvinas Argentinas International Airport (USH). The operating flight was a four-year-old Boeing B737 MAX 8, registration LV-HKV carrying 169 travelers and 6 crew.
National Civil Aviation Administration
According to Argentina’s Clarín, the bomb threat came from a 911 call made from La Plata, around 30 miles (52km) from Buenos Aires. The flight was diverted to Comodoro Rivadavia International Airport (CRD) in Chubut Province, and after landing at 07:40, the airplane was directed to a remote section of the airfield. It was met by the airport firefighters, airport security police (PSA), explosives personnel, and the National Civil Aviation Administration (ANAC).
An emergency protocol was activated, including closing the airport and summoning the provincial Chubut Police explosives brigade and emergency services. In a report, the PSA stated: “The Operational Unit of the PSA of Comodoro Rivadavia received the alert through a communication from the control tower anticipating the arrival of the Aerolíneas Argentinas flight, and the Emergency Operational Committee was quickly formed.”
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“The entire crew and travelers were disembarked and guided to the comings hall of the airport. Personnel from the explosives squad went to the plane and is examining the baggage, cabin, and hold of the aircraft, in an exhaustive search to detect a possible explosive device, which so far has not produced any news.”
According to Clarin, one passenger told: “They told us that we were landing because of a situation, and when we had to go down there, they did tell us that it was because of a bomb threat.” Another said:
“We came to the runway and after 15 minutes they said to us there was a bomb threat. They made us wait half an hour without information and we walked three kilometers in sub-zero temperatures to the airport. We have no statement. There is total secrecy in the company, we got off at 7:30 and it’s been nearly three hours.”
Passengers spent approximately nine hours on the ground in Comodoro, eventually departing at 16:25 on a replacement aircraft. The flight, on a Boeing B737-800 registration LV-GUB, came in Ushuaia at 17:57, well after the 08:05 scheduled coming time of flight AR1882.
The original B737 MAX 8 left Comodorro at 12:49 and arrived back in Buenos Aires at 14:44. Aerolíneas has a fleet of 6 Boeing B737 MAX 8s, 29 B737-800s and eight B737-700s.
In December 2018, an Aerolíneas aircraft received a bomb threat while preparing to depart Córdoba in central Argentina. Following the threat, the plane was immediately evacuated and checked by airport security police.
The search found no trace of explosives, and after a delay of approximately 2 hours, the flight departed for the provincial capital of San Salvador de Jujuy. As the threat was received before take-off, police could alert the control tower, which directed the pilot to stay on the ground while security protocols were enacted.
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