Wednesday, December 05, 2007

Presidents and planes

Recently during the Commonwealth summit it was noted that many of the smaller heads of states (Caribbean islands etc) actually came on commercial flights.

Earlier this year I was on a Kenya Airways flight to Bujumbura when we were held up by the red carpet treatment given o the president of Burundi who was to travel in our first class.  Longer delays occurred at the other end as the plane had to first take him to the official area where the bands and soldiers and ministers were lined up.

I was not the only one on the plane to be worried about this situation.  In the table of security hazards having a Burundian president on board ones plane must rank very high.  At least one has already been assassinated by shooting down his plane (in 1994).



Barry Sesnan


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