Once again, an aircraft could not start the readiness of the Bundeswehr to fly due to a technical defect. Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier has therefore made a brief delay in his trip to Poland on the occasion of World War II commemoration. Steinmeier and his companions in Berlin had to switch from an Airbus A321 to a smaller aircraft of the type A319. There had been a faulty display for the de-icing system, said a spokesman for the Luftwaffe of the German Press Agency.
Steinmeier arrived safely in the evening with the replacement machine in Lodz. On this Sunday morning he will attend a memorial service in Wielun on the occasion of the 80th anniversary of the beginning of the Second World War.
Breakdown series does not stop
In recent months, there were always problems with the aircraft of the Bundeswehr flight readiness. Most recently, Federal Foreign Minister Heiko Maas (SPD) also had to resort to a replacement aircraft of the type A319 for a trip to New York. In view of the continuing series of breakdowns, the German government had ordered three new large-capacity jets from Airbus in May. The first machine should be delivered in 2020, the other two are planned for 2022.
In Poland on Sunday on the 80th anniversary of the German attack on the country is remembered. In the early morning hours, Steinmeier commemorates the first victims of the Second World War in the small town of Wielun, west of Lodz. Later, together with German Chancellor Angela Merkel (CDU) and US Vice President Mike Pence, he will take part in the central memorial service in Warsaw.
After his arrival in Łódź in the evening, Steinmeier welcomed the women's German national volleyball team, which will play Slovenia on Sunday at the European Championships in the second round against Slovenia.