Did you hear the one about the passengers who had to push the plane to get it started? No, seriously. Russian airline passengers at a freezing Siberian airport were asked to push the plane along the tarmac after it got stuck. According to reports, the plane carrying 74 passengers became stuck after the temperature at the airport in Igarka plunged to -52C (-59F). “A video (see below) then shows them pushing the wings to get the plane moving. The plane was a Tupolev 134 operated by Katekavia, a subsidiary of Utair, one of Russia’s biggest airlines,” reports the Guardian.
Although officials denied that the plane was stuck, a video of people pushing it along the ground has been posted online. An official at the local prosecutors has promised an investigation, as apparently pushing a plane by hand is against the rules. “They pushed the plane as if it was a car that had got stuck, which is categorically forbidden as it can damage the plane’s exterior, for example.” The plane took off and later landed in Krasnoyarsk. Did the passengers have to cook their own meals too?
