Old planes keep remote Colombian villages connected

In northern Colombia, a group of pilots and mechanics maintain a vital link to isolated villages by flying decades-old DC-3 airplanes.

For years, these planes have landed on unpaved runways deep within the Amazon rainforest, delivering essential supplies like food, medicine, and vaccines. They also transport patients to city hospitals, students to universities, and families visiting relatives. These American-built Douglas DC-3 aircraft originally carried troops during World War II.

Now, they are the only planes capable of flying and landing in such extreme conditions, transporting over three tons of cargo per flight. The pilots and crew are a crucial connection for indigenous communities in a region described as “the end of the world.” Maintaining the roughly eighty-year-old planes is a daily challenge. Mechanic Jesús repairs the engines using rare vintage parts imported from the United States.

Pilot Rodrigo Vivas, with 17,000 flight hours, emphasizes the risk of takeoff, especially with a full load of over 3,000 liters of fuel and short runways. Every flight carries the danger of crashing if an engine fails. Despite the risks, the DC-3s also transport vital goods from the villages, like fish sold in larger cities, providing income for local families. The Colombian government intends to replace the DC-3s, but has not modernized the landing strips needed for other aircraft.