MEXICO CITY: Brazilian president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva’s jet suffered a technical problem Tuesday and was preparing to return to an airport in Mexico, Brazil’s air force said.
Lula was heading back to Brazil after attending the inauguration of Mexico’s new president, Claudia Sheinbaum, when the issue arose after take-off.
The crew had “successfully carried out the safety procedures to solve the problem” and the presidential jet was burning off fuel before it could land at an airport near Mexico City, Lieutenant Brigadier Marcelo Kanitz said in a statement.
Lula would change aircraft to return to Brazil, he said.
The flight tracking website FlightAware showed a Brazilian air force Airbus A319 believed to be carrying Lula circling repeatedly over Felipe Angeles airport near Mexico City.