Pilots of a chartered jet carrying 289 Gambian soccer fans faked the need for an emergency landing in Peru so passengers could watch their nationu2019s team play a key match, officials said Wednesday.
The plane, claiming to be low on fuel, landed Tuesday in Peruu2019s northern coast city of Piura, where Gambia played Qatar in the FIFA Under-17 World Championships later that night. Emergency crews were scrambled ahead of the Lockhead L1011 Tri-Staru2019s unscheduled landing. It was to have landed in the capital, Lima.
The fans were allowed to watch the soccer game in Piura, which Gambia won 3-1. The fans apparently would have been late or missed the game if the flight had first gone to its scheduled destination of Lima, 550 miles to the south. u201CIt truly was a scam,u201D said Betty Maldonado, a spokeswoman for Peruu2019s aviation authority, CORPAC. u201CThey tricked the control tower, saying they were low on fuel.u201D
Maldonado said the plane, owned by Air Rum, flew directly to Piura, entering Peruvian airspace u201Cwithout permission,u201D instead of approaching Lima. She said the flight was chartered by Gambian President Yahya Jammeh. The plane, passengers and crew remained in Piura on Wednesday while authorities determined what penalty, if any, to levy against the airline. Gambian newspaper Daily Observer reported on its Web page Wednesday that the fans had been delayed for a week in a hotel in the small West African nation, making them late for the game in Peru.
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