The collapse of the front landing gear of a Viva Aerobus plane preparing to take off from the Puerto Vallarta airport Thursday afternoon initiated a full-blown emergency.
The flight (VIV4343) was bound for the city of Monterrey, Nuevo León, with 127 passengers on board the aircraft, the airline reported on its Twitter account. “All (the passengers) are well,” Viva said.
The passengers were safely evacuated from the plane after deployment of the inflatable emergency slides.
The incident, which occurred at 1:40 p.m., activated corresponding safety protocols used at airports throughout Mexico in case of an emergency.
The incident caused 17 incoming flights to be diverted to other airports, including Guadalajara, Mazatlan, Los Cabos and Manzanillo. Eight outbound flights were delayed. Normal service was resumed around 5:30 p.m.
The affected passengers were rescheduled on alternative flights, while the plane was removed to a hangar for review by the airline and aviation authorities.