[Russian] Chita airport permits US airliner to depart 2 days after emergency landing

ITAR-TASS ^ | 11/1/2013

[Freelance Warrior]

The U.S. airliner Boeing, which had made observation flights over Russia under the Treaty of Open Skies, has made an unscheduled landing in the city of Chita, East Siberia, on Wednesday, and will leave the air harbour of the Siberian city at 14:30 local time (08:30 Moscow time, 04:30 GMT) on Friday.

The directorate of the airport permitted the departure, receiving the money for the fuel, representative of the airport’s directorate Sergei Kostin told Itar-Tass. "Finally, the money for the lubricants and fuels were transferred to us. The airport fees will be earmarked soon. The fuelling of the airliner Boeing will begin at about 12:00 local time (06:00 Moscow time),” Kostin added.

The airport noted that the U.S. airplane will depart for Ulan-Ude. However, according to the office of the Russian Foreign Ministry in Chita, the airplane will fly to the United States.

The airliner, which flied to the airport Ulan-Ude, landed in Trans-Baikal Territory at about 12:00 local time (06:00 Moscow time) on Wednesday over the fog in Ulan-Ude. The airliner Boeing was not permitted to leave the airport of the Trans-Baikal capital over the failure to pay the bills.

The airliner is carrying 30 people, including the crew. “We met them halfway, provided the accommodation and hot meals. They have spent two nights at the airport,” official of the Russian Foreign Ministry Aleksey Kotelnikov said.

In his words, according to the terms of the Treaty of Open Skies, the Boeing passengers do not have the right to leave the Chita airport. They can pass the border controls only at two Russian airports - Kubinka and Ulan-Ude.

[NonValueAdded]

Ha ha, we’re now treated like one of Milo Minderbinder’s MIF customers. /obscure /sad

[tcrlaf]

From the Daily Mail:

“Russian news agency Itar-Tass said the Boeing made an ‘emergency landing’ in Chita after being refused its scheduled stop in Ulan-Ude, another Siberian airport, due to thick fog.

The plane landed on early Thursday and is not expected to be allowed to leave immediately.

A total of 30 people including the crew are staying aboard the jet, said Russian officials.”
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2482192/Military-aircraft-carrying-dozens-British-US-military-stranded-Siberia.html#ixzz2jNC5dZe5

Funny that the U.S. Media has failed to cover such a significant event, isn’t it? I believe this is the Nuclear Disarmament Treaty flight. The pic is of the OC-135B.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OC-135_Open_Skies

Can’t have another “International Incident” that makes Obama look bad hit the news right now, can we??

[cunning_fish]

Well, none of these airports are operated by Russian government and it seems reasonable if a company who serviced and fueled USAF jet want it’s money.
It is not the Russian Air Force obstructs this flight. They are using civilian infrastructure.

[Freelance Warrior]

Funny that the U.S. Media has failed to cover such a significant event, isn’t it?

I'm also suprised in that. This is about the U.S. military personnel. The plane is a top theme in Russian media currently and the U.S. press hase plenty of staff reporters in Russia.

[txhurl]

bttt

[Cowboy Bob]

The airliner, which flied to...

The author was obviously educated in an American public school...

[Freelance Warrior]

The author was obviously educated in an American public school...

Well, since it's from a Russian news agency, more likely he's a Russian, for whom English isn't the mother-tongue.

[Gen.Blather]

“Ha ha, we’re now treated like one of Milo Minderbinder’s MIF customers. /obscure /sad”

I remember Milo from Catch 22. But what is MIF?

[Cowboy Bob]

Don’t worry. I realize the author is not a native speaker. In all honesty, the English is quite good.

[Chainmail]

There's more to this we aren't hearing about: the Open Skies Treaty is an important arms control agreement and that aircraft is essentially a legally-sanctioned spy plane. The treaty allows US aircraft to fly over Russian airspace and the Russians to fly over our airspace to conduct treaty verification inspections. To divert and then restrain the continued movement of those aircraft and crew is a violation of a major treaty, not a trivial discussion of who pays for landing fees, fuel, and lunch. The major issue is that a very advanced reconnaissance aircraft with very highly classified technologies is bottled up on a Russian field for days in a country that specializes in lying and spying (though lately, we seem to be challenging their record).

Once again, we are feeling the warm sensation of smoke being blown up our nether regions as "our" government conceals the truth. What is really going on?

[Tucker39]

Hey! Let’s face it; thanks to Obunga, et al, The U.S. is broke and the world knows it. The Russkies don’t like deadbeats any more than you or I do. So to avoid being stiffed for the cost of refueling, etc., they held the plane until payment was received.

This was an expensive unnecessary junket joyride by a bunch of pos bureaucrats in an official U.S. aircraft, and the Russians could smell ripoff many miles away! Bottom line; It was an “in YOUR face” to Obunga.

[NonValueAdded]

Money In Front

[reg45]

For whom English is not their native tongue

Even having English as their native tongue doesn't seem to help many in the United States to speak the language properly.

[buba100]

i dont understand why they are doing this...

[Freelance Warrior]

The major issue is that a very advanced reconnaissance aircraft with very highly classified technologies is bottled up on a Russian field for days in a country that specializes in lying and spying (though lately, we seem to be challenging their record).

Well, the planes performing Open Skies inspections technically need to land and they routinely do this. This time the plane was denied a scheduled landing in a regular destination because of the weather conditions, this is a usual situation in aviation. Spying at a regular airport would be much more effective, the Russians have the opportunity to have pulled there their intellegence equipment. So the spying on the plane is not the issue.