Hantavirus Air Ambulance forced to land in Gran Canaria after technical fault on plane
An air ambulance transporting two hantavirus patients from Cape Verde to the Netherlands was forced to make an unscheduled stop in Gran Canaria after suffering a technical fault on board the plane.
The aircraft had been evacuating two passengers who may have contracted hantavirus on the cruise ship MV Hondius. The plane was originally bound for Amsterdam, with a planned refuelling stop in Marrakech.
However, during the flight, the aircraft’s isolation bubble, designed to safely contain infectious patients, suffered a rupture. Morocco reportedly refused permission for the aircraft to enter its airspace to carry out repairs, forcing the crew to divert to Gran Canaria instead.
Strict Conditions on Landing
Spain’s Government Delegation in the Canary Islands confirmed that the plane was only authorised to land at Gran Canaria Airport on the strict condition that no one boarded or disembarked from the aircraft. Officials state that this requirement was fully respected.
Initially, authorities had suggested that the stopover was solely for refuelling after objections from Rabat. It has since been clarified that the diversion was due to the damage to the aircraft’s medical isolation system.
The air ambulance had departed from Praia International Airport in Cape Verde at 11:00am local time. The original plan was to refuel in Marrakech at around 4:00pm before continuing to Amsterdam, with an estimated arrival time of 5:00pm Dutch time.
Shortly before 4:00pm, the flight was rerouted to Gran Canaria. At that point, departure for the Netherlands was tentatively scheduled for 5:40pm. However, by 6:15pm Canary Islands time, the aircraft was still on the ground.
Flight tracking service FlightRadar24 later showed that the route had been amended again, adding a further stop in Málaga before continuing on to the Netherlands. The Government Delegation has not yet officially confirmed this additional change of plan.
Wider Tensions Over Cruise Ship Arrival
The incident comes amid growing political tension over the handling of the MV Hondius, which is carrying 146 people and is due to arrive in Tenerife at midday on Saturday, after a hantavirus outbreak on board.
The Spanish Government agreed, at the request of the World Health Organisation, to allow the vessel to dock in Tenerife. However, the Canary Islands Government has publicly opposed the decision, citing health and safety concerns.
For residents and tourists in the islands, authorities insist that strict containment measures remain in place and that no contact occurred during the aircraft’s stop in Gran Canaria.
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