The return of Economics Minister Robert Habeck from the tech conference “Web Summit” in Lisbon is delayed due to a technical glitch on the government aircraft.
The Airbus A350-900 that Habeck and his companions were flying on was unable to take off as planned during the night. The captain informed the passengers about a defect in the ignition circuit of one of the engines, which led to a fuse failure. The plane was not allowed to take off with this defect. Therefore, Habeck is not expected in Berlin until Wednesday.
The Airbus A350-900 "Kurt Schumacher" was only put into service in June of this year as part of an extensive modernization program of the Bundeswehr's air force. The new aircraft were intended to replace the old, error-prone models that had repeatedly made negative headlines in the past. In particular, the government aircraft A340-300, known as the "Konrad Adenauer", had caused inconvenience due to frequent breakdowns on several trips. This aircraft was finally retired in autumn 2023.
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