A Boeing 737-800NG belonging to Flybondi, registration LV-KEG, operating flight FO5020 between Buenos Aires and Córdoba, diverted to Ezeiza International Airport on the morning of Friday, November 22, after a technical issue was detected during the flight. Although the landing was uneventful and the aircraft was quickly repaired, the incident led to a clash between the airline and some media outlets.
Flight FO5020 departed from Jorge Newbery Metropolitan Airport at 4:49 a.m., and after detecting an unspecified technical failure, the pilots decided to head to Ezeiza, where Flybondi has its technical base. Before landing, the aircraft performed maneuvers to burn fuel, a standard practice to reduce weight before touching down.
The execution of a fuel burn circuit itself indicates that the technical situation did not pose an immediate danger: Boeing 737s have a Maximum Landing Weight (MLW) that can be equal to or greater than the Maximum Take-Off Weight (MTOW).
In the case of a widebody aircraft, the amount of fuel required for a long-haul flight often makes the MTOW exceed the MLW. In emergencies, these aircraft are equipped with a Fuel Jettisoning system—also known as Fuel Dumping—that allows tanks to be emptied without the need for fuel burning. This system is not present in single-aisle aircraft like the Boeing 737 or Airbus A320.
Therefore, LV-KEG could have landed without delay if the situation warranted it. The aircraft landed without complications at Ezeiza Airport 20 minutes before 6 a.m. Following intervention by the maintenance team, the aircraft resumed operations and departed for Córdoba three hours later.
Clash of statements
In its official statement, Flybondi reported that the diversion to Ezeiza was due to a technical issue and clarified that «at no time was an emergency declared», refuting claims made by C5N and Radio 10, which described the event as an episode of «panic in the air.» The airline called these statements «irresponsible and false».
C5N’s article titled the incident as «Panic in the air due to a malfunction on a Flybondi plane» and emphasized that passengers experienced moments of «anguish and uncertainty.» While the article acknowledged that the technical procedure was carried out correctly, it also highlighted Flybondi’s historical issues, such as frequent delays and cancellations.
Impact on other flights
The incident also had repercussions on other flights. Aerolíneas Argentinas flight AR1133, arriving from Madrid, had to divert to Montevideo to refuel, as it could not hold for extended periods due to FO5020’s priority procedure at Ezeiza. The Aerolíneas Airbus A330-200 eventually landed in Buenos Aires at 8:15 a.m.
