Colombian President Gustavo Petro has ordered the use of the presidential plane and the available fleet of Colombia’s Air Force to help transport the passengers of two airlines that have suspended operations, as per his tweet.
“Facing this emergency caused by airlines Viva Air and Ultra ceasing their operations, I ordered all Air Force aircraft, including the presidential plane, to be readied for transportation of the passengers affected,” his tweet reads.
Yesterday, 30 March, Colombian low-coaster Ultra Air announced it was cancelling all flights due to high fuel prices. Airline Viva Air halted its activities back in February. Due to an unexpected grounding of the fleets, many passengers got stuck in the country’s airports.
According to Bloomberg, in March Colombia’s Transport Ministry opened an investigation against Viva Air due to the fact that the company continued selling tickets after the official announcement that it would be suspending operations.