A Colombian influencer who set off a stink bomb aboard a transatlantic flight has been banned from flying with the airline for a year.
Yeferson Cossio, who has a combined 32 million followers on TikTok and Instagram, was slapped with a one-year year banned by Avianca, the South American airline announced Friday.
“Mr. Yeferson Cossio agreed to refrain from using Avianca’s services until August 21, 2027,” the Colombian flagship carrier said in a statement.
“He also apologized to Avianca S.A. and the crew of flight AV46 for his behavior; these apologies were accepted as part of the restorative process conducted between the parties.”
The punishment stems from an incident that took place March 11 aboard a flight from Bogotá, Colombia to Madrid, Spain after the content creator activated a stink bomb mid-flight over the Atlantic — generating a foul odor throughout the aircraft cabin and inconveniencing passengers and crew.
Avianca cancelled Cossio’s return flight upon arrival in Madrid and initiated legal action.
Cossio said in an Instagram Stories video that his legal team had been in contact with Avianca to resolve the dispute but failed to reach an agreement until Thursday, when the parties met in Bogotá.
“It simply comes down to what I have said from the very beginning: offering an apology,” he said. “Even though it wasn’t intentional, I messed up, and I will obviously refrain from using Avianca’s services for a year.”
Cossio, who is known for carrying out pranks, understood that traveling with a stink bomb on an airplane was in direct violation of “air safety regulations.”
“I understand the concern and discomfort it may have caused. I publicly reiterate my apologies to the airline, the crew, and anyone else who may have been affected,” he said.
Cossio was back in the headlines a week ago for a very different reason.
The influencer delivered 40 tons of aid to victims of the Aug. 10 earthquake in the western Colombian department of Chocó, where a Colombia National Police officer posed for a photo with him and allowed him to hold her service rifle.
The stunt drew scrutiny from Bogotá congresswoman Claudia Romero Nader, who called for an investigation.
Cossio responded angrily, accusing her of diverting attention from the earthquake victims.
“Why the hell — in the middle of such a f–king awful situation — would you go and divert attention to that crap?” he said. “Especially in a country as sensationalist as the one we live in.”
