The aircraft, a Boeing 727-200 operated by Líneas Aéreas Suramericanas (LAS), was accelerating as normal on the ground when the pilot decided not to complete takeoff and then overshot the end of the runway by nearly 600 feet due to its speed.

There were no injuries to any of the four crew on board and no significant damage reported to the plane, which was scheduled to fly to Pasto, the capital of Nariño. But El Dorado International Airport’s 13R runway remained closed for roughly two hours following the incident and led to delays for other aircraft.

At least one Avianca flight bound for Bogotá from Medellín’s José María Córdova International Airport, which was also dealing with thunderstorms and heavy rain, was canceled and at least three others were delayed for several hours.

The runway in Bogotá reopened around 3 pm, although only 3,100 meters of the 3,500-meter runway were available, according to Aerocivil, the aviation regulator in Colombia. The agency said that it was conducting an investigation to determine why the incident occurred.

The planned flight to Pasto was carrying food intended to help those impacted by the disaster in the Putumayo capital of Mocoa, where more than 300 people were killed by flash flooding and mudslides in early April. The flight had been coordinated by Líneas Aéreas Suramericanas and the Red Cross.

“This new route is an excellent connection option for travelers from Antioquia, who now enjoy efficient services to Colombia’s Caribbean region without having to route through Bogotá,” said Avianca in a statement. “Montería, the cattle capital of the country, is recognized as one of the Colombian cities with the highest growth and development in recent years.”

Combined with the 8,400 seats on Avianca’s weekly flights between El Dorado International Airport in Colombia’s capital and Montería’s Los Garzones Airport, the Bogotá-based carrier says it now offers more than 10,400 seats to and from Montería each week.

The new route will be operated by an Airbus A319 that holds 120 passengers, including 12 in executive class. The aircraft will depart Medellín’s José María Córdova International Airport each day at 12:18 pm with an expected arrival in Montería at 1:18 pm. The return leg will leave Los Garzones Airport at 2:00 pm and land back in the Antioquia capital an hour later at 3:00 pm.

The carrier noted that Medellín’s José María Córdova maintains a VIP Avianca lounge on the third floor that has a capacity of 180 passengers.

Photo: Los Garzones Airport in the Córdoba departmental capital of Montería. (Photo credit: Capsantiagoa)