- A Sunwing Boeing 737 MAX 8 found itself stuck on the runway of Holguin Frank Pais Airport (HOG) due to a landing gear issue, leading to a temporary airport closure.
- A NOTAM was issued by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to warn operators of the airport's closure, which expired the next day.
- While there were no injuries, passengers were safely deplaned and given overnight accommodations.
Sunwing Flight's Runway Mishap Leads to NOTAM and Flight Delays
HAVANA — A Sunwing Boeing 737 MAX 8 ran into trouble at Cuba’s Holguin Frank Pais Airport, when its right landing gear sank into the runway’s shoulder. This led to a short-term closure of the airport. The aircraft was preparing for a flight to Montreal Pierre Elliott Trudeau Airport, Canada, according to The Aviation Herald.
Following the incident, a Federal Notice to Air Missions (NOTAM) was released at 10:09 pm local time on August 30, 2023. The FAA warning was intended to notify operators that the airport was temporarily closed. The NOTAM’s validity was lifted at 12:00 pm local time on August 31, 2023.
During the runway closure, Flightradar24.com data showed a noticeable dip in airport operations. On August 30, the airport had 10 scheduled flights, of which only four were tracked. This was in contrast to August 23, when the airport had nine scheduled flights and seven were tracked.
Sunwing Airlines Boeing 737MAX8 (C-GMXH, built 2019) rolled off the paved part of the line-up area of runway 23 during taxi for take-off at Holguin Intl Airport(MUHG), Cuba. The right maingear of flight #WG645 to Montreal broke in the pavement and the 737 became stuck as a… pic.twitter.com/e0BvVG9E4e
— JACDEC (@JacdecNew) August 30, 2023
Footage circulating on social media platforms like Twitter revealed the Sunwing aircraft immobilized on the runway. In the wake of the incident, a Sunwing representative confirmed that there were no injuries to passengers or crew. The airline also reported the incident to relevant regulatory authorities, as per standard protocol.
As of the article’s publishing, three flights were scheduled to depart from the now-reopened Holguin Frank Pais Airport on August 31, 2023. The earliest was VivaAerobus flight VB413 bound for Cancun International Airport. On August 30, a Condor flight took off for Montego Bay Sangster International Airport, Jamaica, at 5:56 pm local time.
In addition to confirming the incident's details, Sunwing's spokesperson stated that passengers were safely deplaned and provided accommodations for the night. "Customers were deplaned and supported with accommodations for the night," said the representative, bringing the statement to a close.
