Guatemala City’s international airport is scheduled to reopen on Wednesday after aviation officials officially landed all planes and closed facilities amid the eruption of the Pacaya volcano.
The ash from the volcano, located approximately 30 miles south of the capital of Guatemala, was blown north over La Aurora International Airport (GUA) by a change in the wind on Tuesday, covering planes and runways in the air hub. The decision to close La Aurora was taken on the recommendation of the National Institute of Seismology, Volcanology, Meteorology and Hydrology of Guatemala, according to the Dirección General de Aeronáutica Civil (DGAC), the country’s civil aviation authority.
On a Press release, DGAC confirmed that nine planes were on the ground on Tuesday, while another was diverted from El Salvador to Los Angeles.
The ash from the volcano, located approximately 30 miles south of Guatemala City, was blown north over La Aurora International Airport (GUA) by a change in the wind on Tuesday, covering planes and runways in the air hub.
(DGAC Guatemala / Francis Argueta Aguirre)
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Photos and video shared with the DGAC show aircraft crews cleaning ashes from the airport runways, with pavement sweeping vehicles and some devices similar to large leaf blowers.
The managing director of the civil aviation authority, Francis Argueta Aguirre, also met with leaders from the National Seismology Institute at the airport on Tuesday, to review the state of the La Aurora runways.
A message posted on the agency’s website on Wednesday morning confirmed the end of the temporary closure of La Aurora starting at 7 am on Wednesday local time. It is not clear whether planes scheduled for service will remain grounded.
A message posted on the civil aviation authority’s website on Wednesday confirmed the end of the temporary closure of La Aurora airport starting at 7 am local time.
(DGAC Guatemala / Francis Argueta Aguirre)
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Pacaya, a popular tourist attraction, has been erupting since February. It is also located near Guatemala’s Volcan de Fuego, which erupted in 2018, killing at least 110 people.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.