A Boeing 737-800, registered 9A-LAB and operated by Croatia’s ACMI specialist ETF Airways, sustained serious damage during a hailstorm in the Argentinian city of Cordoba on January 1. The severity of the impact has left the aircraft grounded ever since. The province of Cordoba experienced extreme weather conditions on New Year’s Day, with winds reaching up to seventy kilometres per hour, heavy rainfall and intense hail. The storm resulted in one fatality and caused widespread damage to vehicles and infrastructure, including disruptions to the electricity supply. Maintenance teams have since been working to restore the aircraft to service; however, the damage sustained has been extensive, significantly complicating efforts to return it to an airworthy condition.
ETF Airways has wet-leased its entire fleet of three Boeing 737-800 aircraft to low cost carrier Flybondi since December. All three jets are based in Cordoba, central Argentina, under an agreement that runs until the end of the southern hemisphere’s summer season in late March. ETF Airways has also recruited Spanish-speaking pilots to operate from the region. The absence of one aircraft since January 1, following the hailstorm damage, has created notable operational challenges for Flybondi, leading to a series of flight cancellations and delays across its network.
ETF Airways has previously faced misfortune with the aircraft in question. In 2021, the aircraft experienced a wildlife strike while landing at Bremen airport on a flight from Pristina. During the landing roll, a wild rabbit on or near the runway was sucked into one of the aircraft’s engines. The aircraft’s left engine suffered enough damage from the rabbit ingestion that it was considered unsafe to fly. That forced ETF Airways to replace the engine and ground the aircraft for about twelve days while repairs and leasing replacement aircraft were arranged. ETF Airways estimated the total cost of the incident, including engine replacement, repairs and leasing other planes to cover its schedule, at around one million euros. The airline’s CEO publicly accused Bremen Airport of negligence, saying wildlife was able to access the airfield because of holes in the perimeter fencing. ETF Airways announced intentions to seek compensation from the airport authority.
