Merida, Yucatan — A Miami to Merida flight suffered an engine failure that forced an emergency landing in Cuba Wednesday. The mid-air emergency happened on Viva Aerobus Flight VB755 which was traveling from Miami, Florida to Merida, Yucatan.
The Merida-bound plane was forced to make an emergency landing at the José International Airport in Havana, Cuba after crew reported a failure in one of the aircraft’s engines.
The plane, an Airbus A321neo registered XA-VXR, was flying over the southeastern Gulf of Mexico when the pilots detected the technical problem. The pilot requested permission to land at the nearest airport, which was Havana.
The plane landed safely, but with only one operating engine. The Mexican Consulate in Havana assisted the passengers, offering logistical support and follow-up during the prolonged wait.
It wasn’t until around 3:00 a.m. Wednesday when passengers finally boarded a new plane bound for the city of Merida. The incident caused the original flight to be more than eight hours late. The exact cause of the mechanical failure has not yet been revealed.
