YEREVAN. – Due to adverse weather conditions, two Ukraine International Airlines passenger planes, which were en route from the Ukrainian capital city Kyiv to the Georgian capital city Tbilisi, had to temporarily land in Zvartnots International Airport of Armenia’s capital city Yerevan, and there were Azerbaijani citizens on board these aircrafts.

The Press Secretary of the Armenian government-affiliated General Department of Civil Aviation (GDCA), Ruben Grdzelyan, told the aforesaid to Armenian News-NEWS.am.

In his words, the first plane landed on Sunday night and stayed at the airport for six hours while the second aircraft landed on Monday at the same time and stayed at Zvartnots for five hours.

“There were 24 Azerbaijanis on board the first day’s flight, and 13 Azerbaijanis on the second day. According to the procedure, the aircraft passengers disembarked the plane—except for four [Azerbaijani passengers]—, [and] remained in the buffer zone until the weather conditions improved.

“While at the airport, the passengers of these flights were provided food, [and] assisted in exchanging foreign currency.

“At the end, all passengers, including the Azerbaijanis, thanked the airport workers and left for Tbilisi with satisfaction,” Grdzelyan stressed.

Reflecting on the aforesaid four Azerbaijani passengers who had refused to get off from Monday’s flight that had temporarily landed in Yerevan, the GDCA spokesperson noted that, as a result, the plane crew likewise had to remain on board the plane and, in addition, the aircraft was heated for them.

And as for the fact that one of the Azerbaijani passengers had told the Azerbaijani media that the Armenian airport personnel wanted to pick up and stamp their passports while they were waiting at Zvartnots, Grdzelyan refuted this information noting that there was no need for this, since the passengers had remained in the buffer zone.

“According to the procedure, [however,] the passports were checked solely when going on board the plane to make sure that they are the passengers of that plane,” he added.