Nothing unusual about Russian aircraft in Trinidad

(Trinidad Guardian) The arrival of two Russian cargo airplanes at Piarco over the last month is in keeping with cus tom ary pro ce - dures, according to the Airports Authority of Trinidad and Tobago (AATT).

Guardian Media reported on Saturday that the Russ i an- man u fac t ured Ilyushin plane, which arrived on Thursday, and the oth er owned by Vol gaDnepr Cargo Air lines which has been here for almost a month, had raised con cerns among var i ous immigration and airport officials.

On Saturday, AATT corpo rate com mu ni ca tions manager Zola Joseph said: “Air ports Au thor i ty of Trinidad and Tobago wish- es to advise that technical stops were requested for two Ilyushin cargo aircraft at the Piarco International Airport, which were facilitat ed by the ap pro pri ate regulatory authorities. It is customary at all airports, for international cargo aircraft to make such stops.”

The AATT added: “It is important to note that technical stops for reasons inclusive of rest, refuelling, repair or crew change have taken place for years by cargo aircraft at this country’s air ports. Trinidad’s ge o graph ic lo ca tion, the length of the runway at the Pi ar co In ter na tion al Air - port and the routes served by some cargo companies make Piarco an important strategic point. Parking and landing of cargo airfreight are a part of the revenue earning business of the Authority.”

In response to a question about whether the planes were here because of the economic crisis in neighbour ing Venezuela, the AATT said: “We do not have any information that there is any relation to the cur rent sit u a tion in Venezuela.”

In a confidential immigration document obtained ex clu sive ly by Guardian Me dia, the eight crew members of the Vol gaDnepr Cargo Airlines said they had dropped off cargo in French Guiana and arrived two days later in Trinidad.

They told immigration au thor i ties that they re - quested a fuel stop and crew rest in Trinidad.

One of the pi lots Mikhail Miniakov told author i ties “af ter drop ping off the cargo which they had picked up in Italy, they transported containers to French Guiana but could give no information as to what they containers contained.”