A flight to St. Petersburg has been landed at Tallinn, after Pulkovo airport was closed as a result of Ukrainian drone attacks. Russian passengers were forced to stay on board for five hours.
A plane full of Russians has landed urgently in Estonia Photo: Archive
Postimees Estonian publication reports that the plane, operated by the Egyptian company Almarsia Universal Airlines, took off from Egypt and was to land at Pulkovo airport in St. Petersburg. Following drone attacks on several objectives on the Russian territory, including the port of UST-lug and areas near the Kursk nuclear power plant, the airport was temporarily closed.
Under these conditions, the aircraft was redirected to Estonia and landed at Tallinn at 5:33 in the morning.
“The aircraft was diverted to Tallinn because he could not land at Pulkovo Due to temporary closure“said Margot Holts, head of the Tallinn Airport Communication and Marketing Department.
Passengers, stuck in the plane
During the five -and -a -half -hour stop, the passengers – all Russian tourists and the crew were not allowed to descend from the plane to the Estonian territory. Subsequently, after the reopening of the airport in St. Petersburg, the aircraft left Tallinn at 11:08 to the initial destination.
Estonia, a former Soviet Republic and a member of the European Union and NATO, is one of the most firm supporters of Kiev and is among the Western states with the highest defense expenses per capita.
A similar precedent in Poland
Ukrainska Pravda recalls that a similar situation took place in February, when a Russian plane flying from Sharm El-Sheikh to Kaliningrad was forced to land in Poznață, Poland, after Warsaw airport refused the permission to land. Then, according to the Russian press, the passengers were not allowed to descend, nor did they receive food or water, having to wait until the next morning to continue their trip.
