Flights to Quebec delayed by pothole in Panama

Hundreds of Quebec travelers saw their return flights delayed by a day due to the presence of a pothole forcing the closure of an airport in Panama.

Asked by The JournalStéphane Lebrun reports that three planes were scheduled to leave Scarlett Martinez International Airport in Río Hato late Friday afternoon towards Quebec, Montreal and Toronto, but these flights were canceled.

“We were told it was a big hole, a big pothole, […] that the runway was too damaged, so they closed the airport,” mentions the traveler who lives in Quebec.

The tourists left their site for the airport at 3 p.m. and once the customs stage was completed, they had to return to the bus and wait two hours, while the Sunwing airline found solutions.

“A little panic”

“We had nothing to eat, no restaurant. It was a bit of a panic,” he admits.

Passengers on the three planes were moved to hotels near the airport. They finally arrived at their hotel around midnight to eat and sleep.

«Ils [Sunwing] still managed the situation well. They paid for the hotel and the meal, but it is not ideal, several people were stressed,” says Mr. Lebrun.

The travelers were all back at the same airport on Saturday morning waiting for their departure scheduled for 1:14 p.m.

The plane is expected to land at Jean-Lesage International Airport around 6:25 p.m.