The plane of Belgian Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Maxime Prevost, en route to the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) summit in Colombia, made an emergency landing due to engine failure.
As Belga reports, citing Prevost’s representative, the plane made an emergency landing on the island of Saint-Martin in the Caribbean.
The plane took off from Belgium, was initially forced to return via the UK due to problems with the fuel system.
After landing at Melsbroek military airfield in Brussels, where repairs and certification were carried out, the aircraft took off again.
The pilot later emerged from the cockpit and advised passengers that an emergency landing was required for safety reasons due to engine failure. As a result, the plane landed safely on the island of Saint Martin in the Caribbean. The delegation, awaiting troubleshooting, spent the night in a hotel on the island.
Maxime Prevost, who was heading to the CELAC summit, missed several important meetings. “Each time, not only the reputation of Belgium suffers, but also the ability to participate in various summits,” said the spokesman.
In the spring of this year, King Philippe of Belgium and Queen Mathilde, during an official visit to Chile, also encountered various problems on another plane.