A royal couple’s overseas visit took an unexpected turn when they were forced to evacuate their aircraft due to a technical malfunction.
On Thursday, King Philippe and Queen Mathilde of Belgium were left stranded in Chile after their plane sustained damage during its scheduled departure from Antofagasta Airport.
The Belgian royals were set to conclude a three-day state visit to the South American nation when their plane suffered a tyre incident.
A tow truck ruined a tire on the Airbus A340-300, operated by Portuguese carrier Hi Fly, causing damage as it was being moved for take-off.
Due to the incident, the royal couple, government ministers and their delegation were compelled to disembark the aircraft for safety purposes.
It is reported that the aircraft had been scheduled to depart at 5pm local time on Thursday,
According to the reports, the royals boarded last before the plane started to move towards the runway.
The Belgian paper HLN shared that the Airbus ruffled as cabin crew delivered safety instructions, before falling silent.
As per Belga News Agency the King Philippe, Queen Mathilde along with ministers disembarked following the "tire incident."
The damaged tire required replacement before any take-off attempt could be made, prompting the entire delegation to relocate to a nearby hotel whilst awaiting repairs.
Wim Dehandschutter took to X to share that the King and Queen "can't fly back today", noting that more than 16 hours after the incident as the repaired tyre had not received official approval.
