Serbian Prime Minister in Mid Air Drama

Serbian PM Mirko Cvetkovic was on his way with a delegation to the Bulgarian capital Sofia when it developed engine trouble.  The pilot, Captain Petar Roncevic, turned the plane around and headed back to Belgrade where he made an emergency landing.

Cvetkovic was apparently was reading his itinerary, when the pilot informed the passengers that there were technical problems causing the plane to lose altitude.  “It is necessary to return to Belgrade for safety reasons,” Captain Roncevic is quoted as saying.  Whilst members of the delegation had noticed turbulence, until the captain's announcement they had put it down to bad weather.

An initial inspection of the plane identified the fault as a problem with the fuel lines and sources said that Roncevic’s experience was crucial in preventing a more serious emergency.

A  government spokesperson told Belgrade daily Blic that the plane would have crashed had it not been for the cool-headed pilot, who made the decision to return to Belgrade in time.

A car was waiting for Cvetkovic at the airport when plane touched down  and took him to the government building immediately arriving in time for a regular government session.

Yesterday’s incident was not the first affecting the government's aircraft, but it was the most serious so far. The plane had passed its regular technical checks before taking off, and according to reports, everything was in perfect order.