A plane carrying Brazil’s president back home returns to Mexico City due to a technical problem

SAO PAULO (AP) — Brazil’s air force said Tuesday that the airplane carrying Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva experienced a technical problem after leaving Mexico City and will return to the country’s capital so he can board another flight to return home.

The aircraft, an Airbus A319, was still flying over the Mexican capital on Tuesday afternoon, the Brazilian air force said in a statement.

The Brazilian air force added that “security procedures for the problem” were performed successfully, but pilots must “wait for the necessary fuel consumption so the airplane returns to the same airport it took off from.”

Earlier, Lula attended the inauguration of Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum.

Brazil Lula Plane Mexico City Inauguration, The Associated Press