On Thursday 5 July, the push-back truck of Flybondi’s handling agent at Salta Airport, Argentina broke down. The handling agent then decided to use two small luggage tugs to push back the aircraft.
The Boeing 737 (LV-HQY) was scheduled to fly FO5161, a domestic flight between Salta and El Palomar. To avoid further delay the strange procedure was applied.
Juan Pablo Armanino, a union delegate, strongly denounced the very dangerous maneuver. “This unusual procedure is very dangerous for day-to-day operations at the airport,” he said, “for example: a mishap with the tow-bar could cause a major incident on the tarmac.”
Low-cost airline Flybondi also responded on the procedure: “On Thursday, the push-back truck of our handling agent was out of service and was then replaced by two small luggage tugs. We have requested urgent explanations regarding this operational maneuver.”
Note: reminds me of the other strange procedure at low-cost airline AirAsia
