The Avianca airline announced the opening of an internal investigation and the possible adoption of legal action after the dissemination on social networks of a case that occurred on a flight between Bogotá and Chicago, in which a passenger reported finding a paper with fecal matter stuck to the table of his seat.
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The company indicated, in a statement issued this Wednesday, April 29, that the event, which became known on social networks a day before, on April 28, does not correspond to its operating standards and led to the activation of verification protocols.
The situation was spread through the social network In it, the woman reported that the incident occurred on April 18, 2026.
Avianca spoke out. Photo:SOCIAL NETWORKS / ARCHIVE
In a series of publications, he noted that the event happened to “a friend on April 18, 2026 while traveling from Bogotá to Chicago by Avianca.” According to the description, “when he lowered the table to eat, he found a paper with poop stuck to the table. He spoke to the crew, who were also surprised.”
In the same ‘thread’, the user added that The affected passenger reported what happened to the flight crewafter which some onboard procedures were activated. They reportedly “filled out a form,” which said they were “supposedly going to report to the airline. They then ‘cleaned’ the seat, but it still smelled terrible.”
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He also assured that, due to the lack of available seats, the traveler could not be relocated and had to remain in the same place throughout the trip, describing that “he had to travel in that seat for the 6 hours and 30 minutes that the trip lasted,” he wrote.
I want to tell you something that happened to a friend on April 18, 2026 while traveling from Bogotá to Chicago by Avianca.
When he lowers the table to eat, he finds a piece of paper with poop 💩 stuck to the table.
Yes yes. Poop.
Spoke to the crew who were also surprised.. (thread) pic.twitter.com/fqCGnruF08— Geraldine Pomato Kalezić (@geripomato) April 28, 2026
The complaint continued with a description of the conditions in which the passenger arrived at his destination. “Imagine the unpleasant feeling with which he landed in Chicago. Where people eat, it turns out that it is not cleaned,” he added in his publication, which was replicated and commented on by other users on the platform.
Avianca issued a statement: it assured that it offered a change of seat to the affected person
Avianca issued a statement Photo:supplied
After the spread of the case, Avianca issued a statement in which it confirmed that it was aware of the situation and that initiated a detailed review of the flight involved.
The company indicated, for its part, that it is “an unacceptable cleanliness condition on board one of our flights,” and stated that this type of event “contravenes our hygiene standards and the commitment we maintain with our passengers,” which is why “we categorically reject what happened.”
In the same statement, the airline explained that, once the passenger informed the crew, immediate measures were taken. He indicated that “the team proceeded to clean the area and offered a change of seat, which was rejected.” Likewise, it reiterated that it has “rigorous cleaning and safety protocols on board, in strict compliance with current regulations and health requirements,” although it acknowledged that what happened “does not reflect said standards.”
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The company He also reported that he opened an exhaustive audit to determine the circumstances under which the incident occurred. As detailed, this review will include “the review of our suppliers, assigned personnel and all contact points on the aircraft, both on this and previous flights.” The airline indicated that the objective is to establish if there were failures in the cleaning processes or if it was an isolated situation.
Avianca Photo:Avianca
In this context, Avianca indicated that, depending on the results of the investigation, additional measures will be adopted. He specified that “as a result of the investigation, the necessary corrective measures will be implemented, if applicable,” and warned that ““The corresponding legal actions will be taken if the possible existence of an act of sabotage is determined.”
The company also reiterated its commitment to hygiene conditions on its aircraft and to the safety of passengers. In the statement, it stressed that it maintains its focus on cleaning shared spaces and compliance with the health regulations applicable to air operations. Likewise, invited users to make “appropriate and respectful use of shared spaces.”
The case generated reactions on social networks, where users questioned the airline’s cleaning protocols and the care provided during the flight.
It should be noted that, for now, the investigation announced by Avianca is ongoing and no preliminary results have been released. The airline indicated that the process will cover not only the indicated flight, but also additional reviews on previous operations of the same aircraft, in order to identify possible inconsistencies in the procedures.
LAURA NATHALIA QUINTERO.
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