Paraguay's World Cup flight delayed by remote safety checks

The departure of Paraguay's national football team for the 2026 World Cup in the United States faced a significant delay, causing anxiety for fans. The Boeing 777 carrying the team was scheduled to depart at 10:30 PM on Saturday but did not take off until nearly 1:00 AM on Sunday, a delay of over two and a half hours.

Nelson Mendoza, president of the National Directorate of Civil Aeronautics (Dinac), explained that the delay was not due to airport infrastructure or mechanical problems with the aircraft. Instead, it was a bureaucratic and operational security matter handled by the airline. Because the large aircraft is not a regular operator in Paraguay, technical paperwork became more time-consuming.

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I want it to be understood that the weight and balance analysis for this Boeing 777 was carried out completely remotely. The company's technicians, from abroad, were asking for more and more reports to authorize the departure. Because it is done remotely, the process logically loses the dynamism that a company that operates every day in our country has. It is a natural delay for safety that is completely outside Dinac's control.

Mendoza elaborated that weight and balance checks for the Boeing 777 were conducted remotely. Technicians abroad requested numerous reports before authorizing departure. He noted that this remote process naturally loses the dynamism of a company operating daily in Paraguay, emphasizing it was a safety delay beyond Dinac's control. The priority, he stressed, was the safety of those on board, even as the players and staff waited in the cabin.

Dinac confirmed it would formally request a report from the airline about the delay, clarifying it was a standard archival procedure rather than an inquiry. The flight's departure was also briefly complicated by ground crew needing to remove advertising vinyl that partially covered an emergency window, though Mendoza downplayed this as a minor marketing detail that would not have significantly impacted the flight plan.

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That's nonsense. That marketing detail could not have delayed the flight plan by even 30 seconds. Someone...