Posted on 09/12/2005 2:37:35 PM PDT by lizol
German Plane With Katrina Aid Turned Back
By CLAUDIA KEMMER, Associated Press Writer Sat Sep 10,11:18 AM ET
BERLIN - A German military plane carrying 15 tons of military rations for survivors of Hurricane Katrina was sent back by U.S. authorities, officials said Saturday.
The plane was turned away Thursday because it did not have the required authorization, a German government spokesman said.
The spokesman, speaking on customary condition of anonymity, declined to comment on a report in the German news magazine Der Spiegel that U.S. authorities refused the delivery on the grounds that the NATO military rations could carry mad cow disease.
The spokesman said U.S. authorities had since given approval for future aid flights, but it was unclear whether the German military would try again to deliver the rations.
Since Hurricane Katrina struck the United States, many international donors have complained of frustration that bureaucratic entanglements have hindered shipments to the United States.
A U.S. Embassy official, who agreed to discuss the matter only if not quoted by name, blamed the German flight's rejection on temporary technical and logistical problems that have accompanied recovery operations in the devastated region.
German military planes have flown several loads of rations to the Gulf Coast. Berlin is also sending teams equipped with high-capacity pumps to help clear floodwaters.
A Mad Cow must be loose. ;);)
Every flight into New Orleans is covered by a series of Temporary Flight restrictions as well as Traffic Management program .If this aircraft came in without a slot time or a PPR, it would have to be turned away. The Approach control at MSY has a single functioning runway as both 6-24 and 10-28 were being renovated and this is a long term project going back into February. Also, Approach and the tower are operating short staffed, partially to evacuated families and partially due to reinvention of governent back in the 90's (few new hires).It is all well and good to carp at bureaucrats, but a midair would certainly provide the same number of experts carping about that. There you have it.
thank you good friend
There not flying into New Orleans. There flying into pensacola which is out of the Temporary flight Restriction area.
Then sounds like a problem with the Navy, doesn't it?
Its the Fed buracrats not the Navy that stopped the shipments.
Did the Germans do the ICAO paperwork ? Did they file the Customs papaerwork? Did they bother to tell anyone , bureaucracy to bureaucracy what was going on? C'mon ensign, you and I both know more was going on than the story says.
Hey im just the guy who supervised them taking the mres and putting them on the planes bound for new orleans or gulfort.
Good for you. I'm just the controller who worked them.
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