German government flight woes continue on way to Djibouti

Germany's Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock made an unplanned stopover in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday after her plane was denied permission to fly over Eritrea en route to Djibouti.

It is the latest in a series of problems with German government planes that have plagued Berlin, with the issueregularly making the headlines during Angela Merkel's period in government.

"When things happen that are not actually planned, you have to be flexible," Baerbock said after her German Air Force plane landed in the Saudi port city of Jeddah.

Conflicts in Sudan and Yemen complicated flight plan

Djibouti was to be the first stop of Baerbock's three-day trip to East Africa, where she was scheduled to hold talks on the ongoing conflict in Sudan and the situation in the Red Sea. 

"Despite all our efforts, we unfortunately did not receive our overflight clearance to Eritrea," the pilot from the Luftwaffe in charge of the flight said.

It is common for overflight authorizations to be granted during the course of a flight, but no clearance was given, and the Eritrean Foreign Ministry could not assist.

Due to armed conflicts, Sudan and Yemen could not be used as flyover routes.

In a crisis region, not everything can run "as it would in normal, peaceful times," Baerbock said.

She plans to fly to Djibouti on Thursday to discuss the European Union's plan to protect civilian shipping in the Red Sea from Houthi attacks.

"It is important for me to emphasize that it is a protection mission for the ships on the ground, in other words a defensive mission," she said.

She also planned to travel to Kenya and South Sudan to discuss the war in Sudan.

Diplomacy interrupted

In August last year, Baerbock canceled a one-week trip to the Indo-Pacific region because of repeated mechanical issues with her government plane.

In May, she was stranded in Doha, Qatar, because of a flat tire on the government plane.

And in 2022, she had to cancel a meeting with her British counterpart after her airplane was grounded in Ireland due to ice.

lo/msh (dpa, Reuters)

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