Technical glitch forces German FM to take commercial flight for CELAC summit

German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul will travel to Colombia on November 8 using a regular commercial flight due to a malfunction of the government’s A350 aircraft, Der Spiegel reports.

Originally, Wadephul’s departure with his delegation and accompanying journalists was scheduled from Hamburg in the afternoon. However, a technical defect was detected on the government plane, forcing the foreign minister to arrange an alternative means of travel. The airline he will use for the journey to Latin America has not been disclosed.

Wadephul is heading to Santa Marta, Colombia, where the summit of the European Union and the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) will take place.

Chancellor Friedrich Merz had initially planned to attend the summit but cancelled his participation. Deputy government spokesperson Sebastian Hille explained on Friday midday that many South American countries would not be represented by their heads of state or government at the event.

Following the summit in Colombia, Wadephul’s itinerary includes a visit to Bolivia, where the new Christian Democratic president, Rodrigo Paz, is set to assume office this Saturday.

The final leg of Wadephul’s trip will take him to Canada, where he is scheduled to participate in a G7 foreign ministers’ meeting near Niagara Falls beginning on November 11.

By Tamilla Hasanova