ASTANA/CHIMKENT. Aug 21 (Interfax-Kazakhstan) - A Norwegian military cargo aircraft made a request for an emergency landing at the Chimkent airport, the Kazakh Defense Ministry's press service reported.
At 9:30 p.m. local time on Tuesday, the Defense Ministry's command post received a request from the plane en route from Ankara to the Kyrgyz airport of Manas, the service said.
Unfavorable weather conditions made it unsafe to land in Manas.
"Kazakh Defense Minister Mukhtar Altynbayev was promptly notified of the request and decided to allow the emergency landing at" the Chimkent airport, the service reported.
The permission was communicated to the aircraft's commander. "However, the plane continued to circle over Manas for about 45 minutes while waiting for the weather to improve. The plane landed there as soon as the weather conditions made it possible," the service said.
The Chimkent airport' military air services "were ready to meet the anti-terrorist coalition's plane. All border guard and customs services were notified. The emergency landing became necessary due to low fuel quantity and poor weather conditions in Bishkek's Manas airport," Chimkent military unit deputy chief Sergei Rozov told Interfax.
"However, the aircraft did not even appear over Chimkent," Rozov said.