Paranair flight from Jujuy to Asunción ends in Pedro Juan Caballero
A Bombardier CRJ200 operated by Paraguayan airline Paranair followed an unusual route that ended with an unexpected landing at Pedro Juan Caballero Airport, located in northern Paraguay near the border with Brazil.
The aircraft, registration ZP-CRT, took off without incident from Horacio Guzmán International Airport, which serves the Argentine city of Jujuy, at 2:00 PM on Sunday. However, while flying over the province of Formosa and less than an hour from arriving in Asunción, a severe storm was affecting the area around the Paraguayan capital, making it impossible to begin the approach.
Faced with this situation, the flight's captain decided to divert to Ciudad del Este, located at the tri-border area with Brazil and Argentina, according to Rubén Aguilar, Director of Airports at Paraguay's National Directorate of Civil Aviation (DINAC).
At 3:47 PM, just under 30 kilometers from Ciudad del Este and flying at 4,600 feet, worsening weather conditions forced the crew to abandon that plan as well. The CRJ then turned north toward Ponta Porã, Brazil, only to find the airport closed due to it being Sunday.
With few options left, the captain diverted once more, landing at Pedro Juan Caballero Airport at 4:30 PM. This Paraguayan city lies just across the border from Ponta Porã, and the two airports are less than 10 kilometers apart.
Aguilar noted that Pedro Juan Caballero Airport does not supply JP1 jet fuel, so the CRJ200 had to remain parked there. Paranair dispatched another aircraft to pick up the 28 passengers, who ultimately arrived in Asunción at 8:30 PM.
Importantly, there was no emergency declared, and passengers were never in danger.
Back to Ponta Porã, 16 Years Later
The mention of Ponta Porã brings back memories of a critical situation involving an Andes Líneas Aéreas MD-82 (LV-BHF) in January 2009. Coincidentally, that aircraft was also headed for Jujuy.
In that incident, the flight departed from Buenos Aires’ Jorge Newbery Airport, and, according to reports at the time, lost both communications and navigation systems after flying through a severe storm over Ceres, in northern Santa Fe province.
Passengers told the media that the crew admitted losing track of the aircraft's geographic location. After nearly four and a half hours, the plane landed in Ponta Porã, seemingly by chance, while searching for a runway.
The airline later denied the plane was ever lost or that passengers were at risk, but public doubt lingered over the incident.
Paranair in Jujuy
Paranair launched its route between Asunción and Jujuy in November 2024. Although initially intended as a seasonal service for the summer, the airline has decided to extend the operation until at least May 2026.
- Flight ZP 870 ASU 11:40 - 13:20 JUJ / Thursdays and Sundays
- Flight ZP 871 JUJ 14:00 - 15:40 ASU / Thursdays and Sundays
AUTOR
Contando la aviación desde marzo del año 2000. Fundador y Managing Editor de Aviacionline. Base: ROS Origen: RES
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