VIDEO: Another Aircraft Gets Stuck on Fernando de Noronha Airport Apron After Asphalt Sinks
For the second time in a week, an aircraft became stranded at Fernando de Noronha Airport after the asphalt on the apron gave way beneath it. On Sunday (29), a Gol Linhas Aéreas Boeing 737 got stuck while taxiing for takeoff on flight G3 1776, bound for São Paulo (Guarulhos) after arriving from Recife.
The incident occurred with more than 100 passengers on board. Fortunately, no one was injured. Passengers were asked to disembark and wait while the aircraft was repositioned and the issue addressed.
In an official statement, Gol confirmed that the aircraft encountered the issue during taxiing, attributing the problem to a section of the airport's asphalt that 'gave way.' The airline reported that the plane was promptly repositioned, and the flight continued to its destination without further complications.
This is the second such incident in just over a week. On June 22, an Azul Embraer 195-E2 also became stuck on the apron under similar circumstances, raising concerns about the structural integrity and maintenance of the island's airport infrastructure.
Authorities have not yet issued a statement regarding the repeated incidents or any planned measures to prevent future occurrences.
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VIDEO: Another Aircraft Gets Stuck on Fernando de Noronha Airport Apron After Asphalt Sinks
Fernando de Noronha, Brazil – June 30, 2025 For the second time in a week, an aircraft became stranded at Fernando de Noronha Airport after the asphalt on the apron gave way beneath it. On Sunday (29), a Gol Linhas Aéreas Boeing 737 got stuck while taxiing for takeoff on flight G3 1776, bound for São Paulo (Guarulhos) after arriving from Recife. The incident occurred with more than 100 passengers on board. Fortunately, no one was injured. Passengers were asked to disembark and wait while the aircraft was repositioned and the issue addressed. In an official statement, Gol confirmed that the aircraft encountered the issue during taxiing, attributing the problem to a section of the airport's asphalt that 'gave way.' The airline reported that the plane was promptly repositioned, and the flight continued to its destination without further complications. This is the second such incident in just over a week. On June 22, an Azul Embraer 195-E2 also became stuck on the apron under similar circumstances, raising concerns about the structural integrity and maintenance of the island's airport infrastructure. Authorities have not yet issued a statement regarding the repeated incidents or any planned measures to prevent future occurrences.
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'The narrow body market, which is exactly where the Horizon fits in, is going to be the biggest market over the next 20 years,' says Aleksey Matyushev, CEO and co-funder of Natilus. 'With all the challenges I think the industry is having, for the first time ever, I think there's an opportunity to build a Boeing or an Airbus lookalike (equivalent).' A new passenger experience Natilus, which was founded in 2016, had previously announced a cargo-only, pilotless plane called Kona that also uses the same innovative shape. Matyushev says the blended wing body design originated in the 1990s from McDonnell Douglas, a major American aerospace manufacturer that merged with Boeing in 1997. Boeing never commercialized a blended wing plane, but studied the concept and produced an unmanned prototype, the X-48. According to Natilus, Kona has received 400 orders and a full-scale model will be built and flown within the next two years. 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'There's a 30% drag reduction, but at the same time, you're actually able to lower the airplane's weight to accommodate the same amount of passengers or cargo, which is very unique,' he says. 'With a small airplane, you have smaller engines, which create less fuel burn. So when you put the two together, it starts to create a reduction (in emissions) per passenger seat by about 50%.' The plane is designed to integrate with existing airport infrastructure, and fit wherever a Boeing 737 or an Airbus A320 would. – Natilus The much larger fuselage, which no longer looks like a tube, opens up possibilities for different layouts on board. 'We have about 30% more floor space than a traditional airplane,' Matyushev explains. 'So what I think a lot of our customers are thinking about is an elevated passenger experience. Could you bring back the lounge? Are there other spaces in the airplane that you could carve out for those long flights?' 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