The plane carrying Bolivian President Evo Morales made an emergency landing at Jorge Wilstermann International Airport of Cochabamba on Wednesday due to a failure in the hydraulic system.
It is not the first time the plane has this kind of failures since it has more than 30 years of service, Bolivian government's spokesman Ivan
Canelas said.
"The pilots found failures at the hydraulic system, as for precaution, he told President Morales that they had to land in the nearest airport, which was the one of Cochabamba," Canelas said.
Due to this emergency, Morales had to modify his agenda, Canelas added. Canelas said that because Morales constantly travels, the government
will do procedures to purchase a modern plane as soon as possible.
"Unfortunately, the resources to purchase a new plane were used for the biometric record, but we must make the effort for President Morales to have a plane without this kind of problems," Canelas said.
The plane used by Morales is an executive Sabreliner made in 1970s in the United States. It has two turbo reactors allowing short distance
flights.
Currently Bolivia is attempting to buy a Russian Antonov BJ plane, costing 30 million U.S. dollars. However, the plane will be ready by 2011.
In Aug. 27, 2009, the same plane also had a problem in Trinidad, capital of Beni, when it was about to take off, due to a failure at the
undercarriage.