For regular travelers, running late for a flight means missing it. But in the case of Irkutsk Governor Dmitry Mezentsev, it suggests that the whole plane has to wait.
An Aeroflot flight to Moscow was forced to wait on the runway in Irkutsk for an hour last week to allow Mezentsev to catch the plane, airline spokesman Andrei Sorgin said on Ekho Moskvy radio on Sunday.
The forced delay apparently did not go down well with the plane's pilots, who under international aviation rules have the final say on what happens on the aircraft they are piloting.
Prominent blogger Rustem Agadamov uploaded a one-minute audio recording of the pilot bickering with the air traffic controller, who announced the delay.
"I have locked the doors and will not let anyone else board the plane," the pilot said.
The air traffic controller replied: "Well, then we won't let you leave."
The pilot then demands that journalists be dispatched to the plane, but apparently none arrived because the incident, which took place Wednesday, was only reported last weekend.
Agadamov did not specify how he obtained the recording.
Sorgin said the governor apologized to the passengers via the plane's loudspeakers after boarding and that none of them had complained. But he acknowledged that they had the right to sue.
Such delays are illegal but widespread, the head of the air traffic controllers union, Yury Batagov, told Ekho Moskvy. He said he personally has faced similar delays when flying from the Rostov region and having to wait for the local governor to board.
Irkutsk's governor has not commented publicly about the delay.
State-owned Aeroflot did not specify the number of people on board, but Agadamov said it was a regular Irkutsk-Moscow flight served by A-320 jet with a maximum capacity of 180 passengers.
A Message from The Moscow Times:
Dear readers,
We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent."
These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia.
We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help.
Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2. It's quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact.
By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us.
Remind me later.
