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| Europe |
| Spain drops Nato flight contract |
| 2003-06-02 |
| EFL Spain has suspended all troop transport flights chartered with a Nato agency following a fatal plane crash in Turkey last week. Defence Minister Federico Trillo said the ban on contracts with the Nato Maintenance and Supply Agency (Namsa) would last until investigations into the crash were completed. For those who were wondering why Spain picked Ukrainian air, it's a NATO contract. The decision follows reports of criticism by the military of the fleet of Ukrainian and Russian planes used to transport troops to conflict zones. Sixty-two Spanish servicemen returning from a peacekeeping mission in Afghanistan and 13 crew died in last Monday's crash near the north-western Turkish town of Trabzon. The Spanish newspaper El Mundo has reported that Spain is planning to sue Nato to help pay compensation to the families of the victims. Fat chance. Last week's crash was the third by a Ukrainian-operated jet in the last six months. On 9 May, around 160 people died when the cargo-bay door on an Ilyushin-76 transport aircraft run by Ukraine's Defence Ministry and piloted by a Ukrainian crew flew open over the Democratic Republic of Congo. In December, 44 people, mainly Ukrainians, died when a Ukrainian-made Antonov An-140 crashed in Iran. That one was a brand new plane, if I remember correctly. Correspondents say Ukrainian charter companies have become major players in international military and commercial missions over the last 10 years. They offer lower rates and cheaper crews in the fiercely competitive market. That's what happens when you go with the lowest bidder. |
| Posted by:Steve |