King Philippe and Queen Mathilde of Belgium have been left stranded in Chile after their plane sustained damage during its scheduled departure from Antofagasta Airport on Thursday.
The Belgian royals were concluding a three-day state visit to the South American nation when their plane suffered a tyre incident whilst being taxied to the runway.
The Airbus A340-300, operated by Portuguese carrier Hi Fly, was damaged when a tow truck destroyed a tyre during positioning for take-off.
The incident forced the royal couple, government ministers and their delegation to disembark the aircraft after it had rattled during safety instructions, extending their diplomatic visit unexpectedly.
King Philippe and Queen Mathilde of Belgium have been left stranded in Chile after their plane malfunctioned.
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The aircraft had been scheduled to depart at 5pm local time on Thursday, with the royals boarding last before the plane began moving towards the runway.
According to Belgian paper HLN, the Airbus rattled as cabin crew delivered safety instructions, before falling silent.
Belga News Agency reported that King Philippe, Queen Mathilde and accompanying ministers disembarked following the "tire incident", with other delegation members initially remaining on board before being asked to leave.
The damaged tire required replacement before any take-off attempt could be made, prompting the entire delegation to relocate to a nearby hotel whilst awaiting repairs.
The royal couple were forced to leave their plane after a tyre was damaged during take-off preparations.
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The replacement tyre was fitted, but the aircraft required official safety clearance before departure could proceed.
An initial rescheduled take-off was planned for noon local time on Friday, but this attempt also failed.
Royal reporter Wim Dehandschutter posted on X that the King and Queen "can't fly back today", noting that more than 16 hours after the incident, the repaired tyre had not received official approval.
The continuing delays marked the second aircraft issue affecting the state visit, which had already begun a day late due to "technical problems" with the outbound flight from Belgium's Melsbroek military airport on Sunday.
The Belgian royal's were in Chile as part of a three-day state visit.
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Belgian Foreign Minister Maxime Prévot announced on Friday that he would advocate for the government to re-evaluate its contract with the leasing company responsible for flights.
Speaking against the backdrop of the Chile delays, Prévot criticised the service quality provided by Hi Fly, which operates under a Defence contract.
"Our image and credibility" were at stake during royal state visits and economic missions, Prévot emphasised.
He argued that focusing solely on cost-cutting was counterproductive if technical problems ultimately cost the State more than opting for higher quality initially would have.
The minister intends to push for an investigation into the legal possibilities of issuing a new tender to partner with a different airline.
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King Philippe also recently set the record straight on abdicating.
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The news comes as the Belgian king spoke about the potential of abdicating for the sake of his daughter, Princess Elisabeth, in a rare candid admission.the sake of his daughter, Princess Elisabeth, in a rare candid admission.
Philippe revealed he has no immediate plans to abdicate, stating he wants to give his daughter Princess Elisabeth time to "enjoy her youth" before considering stepping down.
"A King steps back, but is not retired," Philippe said, according to a translation shared by Hola!
The royal assured he would "continue to work for Belgium” during the heartfelt discussion.
“I must give my daughter time to enjoy her youth, develop herself and see the world.
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