Politics

President Lula returns to Brazil after aircraft change

His plane had a technical issue and returned to Mexico City

Agência Brasil - Brasilia

Published on 02/10/2024 - 09:15

Agência Brasil - Brasilia

México, Cidade do México. 01/10/2024 - Presidente da República, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, durante a cerimônia de transmissão do Poder Executivo Federal, no Palácio Legislativo San Lázaro. Foto: Ricardo Stuckert/PR — © Ricardo Stuckert/PR

After changing planes, President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva is expected to arrive in Brazil at around 10:30 a.m. (Brasília local time) on Wednesday (Oct. 2).

In Mexico City, he participated in the swearing-in ceremony of the newly elected president, Claudia Sheinbaum.

According to the Brazilian Air Force (FAB), the VC-1 presidential plane experienced a technical issue shortly after takeoff. The aircraft circled for approximately five hours at an average altitude of 3,800 meters to burn off fuel before landing safely at 10:16 p.m. on Tuesday (Oct. 1) at Felipe Ángeles International Airport (Santa Lucia - NLU), located about an hour from Mexico City.

The president and his advisors then transferred to another FAB aircraft bound for Brasília.