21,000 passengers affected, 136 flights cancelled after plane's emergency landing

Bogota : More than 21,000 passengers were affected and 136 flights were cancelled in Colombia, following the emergency landing of a commercial plane at a major airport near the city of Medellin, Civil Aviation Director Jair Orlando Fajardo said on Wednesday.

The front landing gear of the LATAM Airlines Airbus A320-200 fell off shortly after takeoff on Tuesday afternoon, forcing the plane to turn back for an emergency landing at the Jose Maria Cordova International Airport in the town of Rionegro. No injuries were reported during the emergency landing.

Fajardo said that flights to and from Rionegro were cancelled for more than 12 hours, which led to delays and cancellations in other airports, especially in Bogota's El Dorado International Airport.

"At this moment the airport is operating and under normal conditions," he said, adding the 136 flights that were cancelled and the 21,245 passengers affected by this incident are being addressed.

According to Fajardo, investigations were underway to determine the causes of the emergency.