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A recent visit by the Belgian Royal Family to Chile was disrupted due to technical issues with a HiFly Airbus A340-300. The aircraft, provided by Portuguese wet-lease specialist HiFly, faced multiple delays, extending the trip by at least 72 hours. Belgium's Foreign Minister, Maxime Prévot, who accompanied the Royal Family, expressed dissatisfaction over the situation.
Prévot described the delays as "shameful" and indicated that the government would explore legal options to address the issue. He stated: "It is shameful for Belgium to have had problems when starting and to have had to postpone the mission. Imagine if the state banquet and the meeting with the President were scheduled on the first day of the visit...everything would have had to be canceled."
The departure from Brussels Airport was initially delayed due to a "technical problem," postponing the flight from June 21 to June 23. Although uneventful afterward, further issues arose during their return journey when a tire was damaged while taxiing in Chile. This incident delayed their departure until Saturday.
