Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili’s plane had to make an emergency landing at the airport in Bucharest, Romania, due to a mechanical problem, the presidential administration reported on Thursday.
“President Saakashvili was unable to return to Georgia from Romania at the scheduled time because his plane was forced to make an emergency landing in Bucharest 10 minutes after taking off. The cause was a malfunction in the undercarriage,” the administration said.
The Rustavi 2 television network identified Saakashvili’s plane as a “Boeing” and said the plane’s pilot made the decision to return to Otopeni Airport in Bucharest within 20 minutes of taking off from there.
An airport spokesman said an inspection of the plane was being carried out and Saakashvili should be able to depart for Georgia Thursday evening.
After arriving back in Bucharest, Saakashvili returned to the hotel where he stayed while attending the congress of the European People’s Party, Newsru.com reported.
