Bomb Threat Forces Aerolíneas Argentinas Boeing 737 MAX Evacuation

On Thursday, a passenger onboard an Aerolíneas Argentinas flight between Buenos Aires Jorge Newbery Airfield (AEP) and Tucumán International Airport (TUC) said he had put a bomb inside his luggage, activating a safety protocol until the threat was deemed non-existent. The man was consequently arrested and banned for life by the State airline.

The incident

This incident took place on September 15. Aerolíneas Argentinas was looking to operate the flight AR1484 between Buenos Aires and Tucumán. The airline was deploying a Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft, registration LV-GVE, with 172 passengers onboard and six crew members.

As reported by local media outlet El Clarín, the man was “visibly offended by some situation with the company.” He started yelling that he was carrying an explosive device stored in his luggage. Immediately, members of the Special Group for the Control of Explosives and Special Weapons (GEDEX) of the Airport Security Police proceeded to disembark him while the aircraft was moved to a safe position in the airport. The flight was delayed for three hours due to the incident.

Aerolíneas Argentinas said the crew notified the passenger that he had to dispatch his luggage since it did not comply with the regulatory measures. After handing over the suitcase to be taken to the aircraft’s belly, the passenger stated that it contained a bomb.

On Thursday, an Aerolíneas Argentinas flight faced a false bomb threat in Buenos Aires. Photo: Lukas Souza | Simple Flying.

Arrested and banned for life

The Argentine police consequently arrested the man involved in this incident following this false bomb threat. Aerolíneas Argentinas said that a bomb threat is an action typified as public intimidation by the country’s Penal Code. The airline added that,

“The passenger will be included in the so-called ‘watch list’ of disruptive passengers and, therefore, suspended from flying on Aerolíneas Argentinas flights.”

Finally, Aerolíneas added that it will not tolerate this type of disruptive behavior that represents a threat to the safety and the normal development of the operation. The airline will severely punish this type of activity every time this occurs. It has not been the first time an Aerolíneas flight has faced a false bomb threat this year. Globally, disruptive passengers have increased in the last few years, worrying the airline industry and authorities.

172 passengers and six crew members were onboard the impacted flight. Photo: Lukas Souza | Simple Flying.

Second bomb threat in 2022

Last July, an Aerolíneas plane bound for Ushuaia International Airport (USH) had to land in Comodoro Rivadavia, in Chubut province, after a bomb threat mid-flight forced the crew to activate the emergency protocol. Comodoro Rivadavia Airport (CRD) was closed while the airport police searched the plane. No explosives were found onboard the aircraft, carrying 169 passengers and six crew members.

The operating aircraft was a four-year-old Boeing B737 MAX 8, registration LV-HKV. According to Argentina’s Clarín, the bomb threat came from a 911 call made from La Plata, around 30 miles (52 km) from Buenos Aires. Passengers spent approximately nine hours on the ground in Comodoro Rivadavia, eventually departing at 16:25 on a replacement aircraft.

What do you think about these two incidents faced by Aerolíneas Argentinas in the last three months? Let us know in the comments below.