Colombia’s civil aviation authority Aerocivil on Monday said air traffic in the South American country is suffering considerable delays due to particularly bad weather earlier in the day.
A storm that hit several parts of Colombia with strong rains and lightning posed serious hazards to air travel, Aerocivil said in a press release.
Bogota’s international El Dorado airport was operating at 30% of its usual capacity, said the aviation authority.
Until 2PM the airport’s runways were only able to accommodate 15 arrivals and 40 departures per hour. Since 2PM, the airport has gradually resumed normal operations, though flights remained delayed.
Lights along the airport’s northern runway remain affected by the storm though work crews continue to bring them back online as soon as possible.
The storm was part of Colombia’s second rainy season, which extends from September to mid-December and has caused major trouble across the country’s national territory.
Rains like the one affecting air travel have already left 39 dead and displaced 18,000 people around the country.
The weather has left five of Colombia’s 32 states on high alert due to high winds, flooding, and landslides. Colombia’s National Disaster Risk Management Unit has already spent $1.5 million this year in order to provide food, shelter, and other basic necessities to everyone affected by the rainy season.
MORE: Heavy rains leave 38 dead and 18,000 homeless in Colombia
As of September 1, there were 88 recorded floods, 50 landslides, three avalanches, and 29 structural collapses in Colombia. Coastal regions have been the most affected, both within Colombia and throughout the region.
Sources
- Operaciones aéreas en el país, afectadas por fuertes lluvias (El Tiempo)
- Cinco departamentos en alerta por intensas lluvias (Caracol Radio)
- Lluvias dejan 38 personas muertas y cerca de 10.000 familias afectadas (Caracol Radio)