Foreign Minister Baerbock has canceled her trip to Australia, New Zealand and Fischi for the time being. The Federal Foreign Office announced that after a stopover to refuel in Abu Dhabi, there were problems retracting the landing flaps.
Foreign Minister Baerbock has canceled her trip to Australia, New Zealand and Fischi for the time being. The reason is a plane breakdown. The Federal Foreign Office announced that there was a technical problem after a stopover in Abu Dhabi to refuel.
Another plane breakdown for Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock: After a stopover to refuel in Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates, the Green politician had to cancel her flight to a week-long trip to Australia, New Zealand and Fiji early Monday morning.
A spokesman for the Foreign Office said on board: “Due to a mechanical problem, we have to return to Abu Dhabi for safety reasons. The options for further travel planning are currently being clarified.”
Problems retracting the landing flaps
The machine was still in the air at around 4:30 a.m. local time (2:30 a.m. CEST) with Baerbock and her delegation on board. In order to be able to land safely in Abu Dhabi, fuel first had to be drained. The flight captain had previously informed over the on-board loudspeaker that there were problems retracting the landing flaps.
In Abu Dhabi, it should be clarified whether, when and how the journey can be continued. On the ground, the flight crew first wanted to check whether the damage could be repaired with on-board resources or whether spare parts were needed.
It was considered possible that Baerbock would fly on with a small part of her delegation by line – with scheduled flights to Australia only starting on Monday evening.
The Green politician left for a week-long trip to the Pacific region on Sunday, where she planned to hold political talks in Australia, New Zealand and Fiji.
Baerbock: Closely connected through shared values
Before they left for the Pacific region, Baerbock had said they were very closely connected through shared values and a shared view of the world. Despite the great distance, we can rely on one another and support one another as strategic partners.
On Tuesday, Baerbock planned to attend a ceremony in the Australian capital of Canberra to return cultural assets to representatives of the Kaurna people. These are four objects from the Grassi Museum in Leipzig, for which a return request was made in 2019 – a wooden sword, a spear, a fishing net and a club.
Tire damage in May
It was not until mid-May that the Foreign Minister was stranded in Doha in the desert emirate of Qatar because of a punctured tire on her government Airbus. But other members of the government have also had to put up with unscheduled stays due to breakdowns on a machine used by the Bundeswehr’s flight readiness service.