Honestly, it’s sort of refreshing to see airlines hold pranksters accountable every so often…
Influencer sets off stink bomb on transatlantic Avianca flight
Influencer Yeferson Cossio has a massive online presence, with nearly 20 million followers on TikTok, nearly 13 million followers on Instagram, etc. On March 11, 2026, the Colombian national was flying with Avianca on flight AV46 from Bogota (BOG) to Madrid (MAD), and reportedly set off a stink bomb, a small device containing a chemical odor generator.
Obviously odors inside an aircraft cabin can be incredibly unpleasant, but even beyond that, they can cause safety concerns. After all, an odor might be the first sign of something else being wrong with the aircraft, and unidentified odors have been the cause of many diversions over the years. This incident happened while over the middle of the Atlantic, so there wasn’t even a practical way to divert at that time.
It was later discovered that the odor was due to Cossio detonating a stink bomb. When this became publicly known, the airline decided to ban the passenger from future travel, and has also decided to pursue legal action against him. Per a statement from the airline:
“Avianca informs that, as a consequence of disruptive behavior by a well-known influencer on board flight AV46 on the Bogotá–Madrid route on March 11, the airline decided to terminate his contract of carriage and consequently cancel the return journey. The airline will also pursue the corresponding legal actions.”
“The decision was adopted based on provisions in sections a), d) and h) of clause 8.6 of the Contract, after behavior that affected the safety, comfort, order and discipline on board, as well as the sanitary conditions of the flight, following the use of a device that generated a chemical odor inside the cabin.”
“The aircraft is a closed and pressurized environment where air is recirculated throughout the cabin, and the aircraft was flying over the Atlantic Ocean, still far from the nearest airport in case of an emergency.”
Troublemaker claims setting off stink bomb was mistake
The influencer at the center of this controversy is known for some absolutely wild stunts, which go way beyond things like detonating a stink bomb. So, what’s his defense here? Cossio claims that this was not a planned prank for social media, but instead, the device was accidentally activated.
According to him, he had the stink bomb because he does pranks, but he wasn’t planning on using them on the flight. Instead, the stink bomb was activated by mistake while he tried to take out a pencil case from his bag. Here’s the explanation:
“What happened on the plane was not a prank, because that’s not something I do there. It was just an accident. I’m not trying to play the victim. With or without intention, I made a mistake. The little bag burst, that’s it. I’m only saying it’s not as serious as they’re making it out to be.”
I wasn’t there, so I can’t say with certainty what his intent was. However, when you’re a prankster and then you claim it was an accident when there’s a prank you get in trouble for, well… that’s kind of convenient.
While it’s of course within the carrier’s rights to ban the passenger from future travel, there are questions of how successful a lawsuit will be, especially given that the flight didn’t actually divert.
Bottom line
Avianca isn’t happy with a famous Colombian influencer who set off a stink bomb on a recent transatlantic flight. The airline announced they would ban him and pursue legal action for his behavior, while the passenger claims this was an honest mistake, and that he didn’t mean to set off the stink bomb.
What do you make of this Avianca stink bomb situation?
