Iberia A350 Water Cannon Salute Mishap: On June 4, 2026, an Iberia Airbus A350-900, registration EC-NXD, was taxiing out of José Joaquín de Olmedo International Airport in Guayaquil, Ecuador, when a ceremonial water salute went wrong. The flight was due to leave at 11:25 local time on Iberia’s four-times-weekly service to Madrid and was planned to arrive there at 05:30 on June 5.
The airport fire service had set up two fire trucks to spray a water arch over the aircraft. But the truck on the left side was too close to the jet’s path. As the A350 moved forward, the extendable nozzle on that truck was hit more than once by the aircraft’s winglet. Videos shared online showed the awkward moment very clearly.
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What was Damaged?
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The fire truck did not tip over, but the A350’s left winglet took serious damage. In one video, pieces of the winglet can be seen falling away as the jet continues to taxi. After that, the aircraft was treated as unserviceable for the return leg. Iberia later cancelled flight IB132 back to Madrid. At the time of the report, the aircraft was still in Guayaquil while engineers looked at the damage and a replacement winglet was expected from Madrid.
Why Water Salutes can go Wrong
A water cannon salute is a common airport tradition. Fire trucks stand on both sides of a taxiing aircraft and spray water over it as a kind of welcome or celebration. It is often used for first flights, retirements, or special airline moments. But it has to be done with care. If the trucks are too close, or if the wrong thing is sprayed, the result can be damage, delays, and big repair costs.
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This kind of thing has happened before. In 2006 at Washington Dulles, a United Airlines Boeing 777 was damaged when foam was sprayed instead of water. In 2015 in Manchester, a Virgin Atlantic Airbus A330 was covered in fire-retardant foam during a new route celebration.
In 2018 at Dubai Airport, a high-pressure jet forced open the forward emergency hatch on a Saudia Airbus A320. In 2020 in Turkey, a Corendon Airlines Boeing 737 was damaged when its right wingtip struck the water cannon nozzle. These past cases show why airport crews must plan these ceremonies carefully and keep strong ground rules in place.
