As warned by the National Meteorological Service, the storm front that began developing in the south of the Pampa Húmeda finally impacted the Greater Buenos Aires Metropolitan Area early Sunday morning with wind gusts near 100 km/h, hail, and heavy rain, causing significant damage that also affected air operations at Aeroparque Jorge Newbery (Buenos Aires downtown airport), Ezeiza International Airport, and San Fernando International Airport.
Impressive photos and videos shared on social media show how a Boeing 737-800 of Aerolíneas Argentinas was turned by the wind:
Esto pasó en Aeroparque, vientos tornadicos y aviones de 50 toneladas moviéndose como si fueran de papel. Destrucción total. Es un momento histórico. pic.twitter.com/GlNav9aEhU
— Buiatti (@IgnacioBuiatti) December 17, 2023
Damage was also reported in other sectors:
Se volo el aeroparque pic.twitter.com/tYaung6J8G
— Lady Market (@ladymarketok) December 17, 2023
Aeroparque pic.twitter.com/o7DZa3tDKq
— M A R I T A del 56%💜 (@Marita202274874) December 17, 2023
🌧️ASÍ QUEDÓ EL AEROPARQUE JORGE NEWBERY.
🗣️Hasta el momento hay más de 30 vuelos cancelados. pic.twitter.com/OFnl9vhVEW
— Canal 10 Mar del Plata (@Canal10MDP) December 17, 2023
And along the coastal access:
En este momento por los alrededores del Aeroparque Jorge Newbery. pic.twitter.com/wXzD0KzsdC
— lijo (@lijoosse) December 17, 2023
[AEROPARQUE]
Así está ahora la Av Costanera. Zonas anegadas, árboles y ramas caídas. Máxima precaución! pic.twitter.com/vGp4MkYfUW
— Van al Aeropuerto ✈ (@vanalaeropuerto) December 17, 2023
Aerolíneas Argentinas confirmed that 16 planes were inoperable after the storm, due to object impacts or lightning strikes, while they were forced to cancel 64 flights. JetSMART and Flybondi did not report damages to their fleet.
Some photos circulating on social networks also show damages at the San Fernando International Airport, specialized in general aviation, including some small aircraft overturned by the wind and hangar roofs blown away.
Aeropuertos Argentina 2000, the airport operator, reported that Aeroparque Jorge Newbery was reopened after 9 am following runway cleaning, and operations will normalize throughout the day as airlines proceed with rescheduling.
On days like these, when thousands of passengers must face significant delays in their flights, we repeat the call we made in another article:
No one wants to leave passengers stranded for hours at airports or aboard planes. The business of airlines is to transport them from point A to point B as quickly, efficiently, and safely as possible. Therefore, when disruptions caused by forces beyond the airlines’ control occur, there is no choice but to be patient and know that those on the other side of the counter wish for you to board as soon as possible. However, safety is paramount, and if it’s not possible, it’s not possible.
If you believe in any God, protest against them, but disrespecting airport personnel will at most serve to vent momentarily and potentially suffer consequences that include, aside from criminal charges depending on the severity, never being able to board a flight with that airline again.
Need an immediate answer about what will happen with your flight? So do thousands of others. And no airline is prepared to satisfy everyone as quickly as they would like under that situation. Because a cancellation of dozens of flights from several companies in one day can only be resolved by relocating passengers on subsequent flights in the available spots. Unless dozens of new planes appear overnight, there is no other choice. It’s horrible to experience, yes. For both passengers and employees.
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