Nolinor Aviation : A successful rescue operation in Guatemala

Record reactivity in times of crisis

In March 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic was spreading around the world, and countries were closing their borders in a cascade. As a result, some fifty Quebec students and their chaperones from a Greater Montreal high school found themselves stranded in Guatemala City. Their return, initially scheduled for March 23, had to be urgently brought forward when the Guatemalan president announced that the borders would close to foreigners at midnight on the same day.

Faced with this deadline, several options were considered and abandoned, with no less than eight changes of plans involving cancelled flights and supply shortages.

It was in this context that Nolinor Aviation, a private Quebec carrier, was approached. In less than 20 hours, in response to the school board’s urgent request, Nolinor mobilized two crews aboard a Boeing 737-200 to carry out the complete repatriation of all the students and their companions, with just 15 minutes to spare before the borders closed completely.

Nolinor Aviation’s daring repatriation operation was an eloquent testimony to the company’s ability to respond quickly and effectively to any complex emergency situation.