Boeing 727 Floats in Flooded Porto Alegre Airport

Brazil's southernmost state, Rio Grande do Sul, is experiencing one of its worst floods, severely affecting Porto Alegre Airport. The flooding has caused significant disruption, with images showing a Boeing 727 floating in the airport's floodwaters.

The airport, located in Rio Grande do Sul, is grappling with severe flooding, resulting in a Total Cargo Boeing 727 submerged in water. The situation highlights the severity of the floods in Brazil's southernmost state.

More than 500,000 people have been displaced by the floods, with over 150 fatalities reported. Areas not directly affected by the floods are experiencing power and water shortages. Many displaced residents are in public shelters, and the government is planning to build temporary tent cities to accommodate them.

Porto Alegre Airport, one of Brazil's busiest with an annual passenger traffic of around 7.3 million, remains closed. According to a NOTAM issued by the airport authorities, the closure will continue until May 30. Fraport Brasil, the local division of the German company Fraport, operates the airport and is coordinating with the federal government to mitigate the impact of the floods.

The partially submerged Boeing 727 at Porto Alegre Airport is a rare sight, especially as the aircraft type is becoming increasingly rare in commercial operations. Total Cargo is the only company in Brazil operating this model, with three Boeing 727s in its fleet. These aircraft, once used by Northwest Airlines and Republic Airlines, now exclusively fly cargo.

While trijets like the Boeing 727 are disappearing from commercial aviation, other models, such as the McDonnell Douglas DC-10 and DC-11, still fly for cargo, government, and military purposes. FedEx remains the largest operator of trijets, with over 25 MD-11s in service, illustrating the shift from commercial passenger use to specialized operations.