Another mishap occurred with a German government plane on Monday after a ground vehicle at Dortmund airport damaged the Bombardier Global 5000 machine German Chancellor Angela Merkel had used to fly to the western German city.

The chancellor was to fly back to Berlin on another plane from the government fleet, a spokesman for Germany's airforce said.

The plane was hit by the vehicle while stationary at the airport, after Merkel had left the aircraft, he said.

The extent of damage was not initially clear.

Joining in research

Merkel arrived in Wuppertal, near Dortmund, on Monday afternoon to visit the Junior University, which offers research and educational opportunities to students from four to 14 years of age. She was also there to take part in a public discussion focused on the 70th anniversary of Germany's constitution or Basic Law.

The chancellor took an active part in research activities at the university, with spokesman Steffen Seibert tweeting a video showing her with the students and the premier of the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, her Christian Democrat ally Armin Laschet.

Embarrassing hitches

The incident is the most recent in a series of problems affecting the German government's aging fleet of 14 planes that carry ministers and the president, which has encountered numerous problems in the past months.

In December, Chancellor Angela Merkel arrived late to the G-20 summit in Buenos Aires after her plane had mechanical problems over the Netherlands and was forced to land in the western German city of Cologne.

In January, Steinmeier arrived three hours late in Ethiopia after his plane encountered problems in Berlin. Development Minister Gerd Müller had to cancel a trip to Namibia in January during his tour of Africa due to another mechanical issue.

In February, German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas was stranded in Mali after his Airbus A319 was unable to depart due to a mechanical issue.

And in April, a plane that was to carry German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier to Stuttgart the next day almost crashed following a maintenance check.

Grounded: Problems with Germany's government planes Late to G20 summit While en route to a G20 summit in Buenos Aires in November 2018, the A340-300 "Konrad Adenauer" carrying German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Finance Minister Olaf Scholz had to make an unexpected landing at the Cologne/Bonn Airport. Merkel showed up late to the conference in the Argentinian capital.

Grounded: Problems with Germany's government planes Rodents? You're kidding right? It was the second consecutive month in which the "Konrad Adenauer" needed to be grounded. The A340 also left Scholz stranded in Indonesia following a meeting of the International Monetary Fund in October 2018 after rodents gnawed through electric cables.

Grounded: Problems with Germany's government planes Trouble in Africa The "Konrad Adenauer" isn't the only Airbus belonging to the German government that has experienced problems. The A340 "Theodor Heuss" jet carrying German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier experienced technical problems during his trip to several countries in Africa.

Grounded: Problems with Germany's government planes Tell them I'll be late Steinmeier also had his fair share of woes with the "Konrad Adenauer" jet. The German president's trip to Belarus in June 2018 was delayed due to problems with the plane's hydraulic system.

Grounded: Problems with Germany's government planes Pressure starts to tell German Development Minister Gerd Müller's schedule was thrown into chaos when he was forced to cancel a visit to Namibia in January 2018 — because of plane trouble. Müller was scheduled to depart Malawi when his Bombardier Global 5000 was unable to take off due to a defective pressure valve. He was eventually able to continue on to Zambia on a commercial flight.

Grounded: Problems with Germany's government planes I hear it's snowing at home German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier was grounded in Ethiopia yet again when the "Theodore Heuss" was unable to embark on its return flight due to an air pressure problem. The delay would seem to put Steinmeier ahead of Olaf Scholz for the title of German official most often stranded due to technical problems.

Grounded: Problems with Germany's government planes Foreign minister stranded in Mali On February 28, 2019, Foreign Minister Heiko Maas was forced to stay overnight in the capital of Mali, Bamako, after his government plane had a mechanical problem. Maas strugged off the delay, saying he had traveled all over the world without a problem.

Grounded: Problems with Germany's government planes The "Konrad Adenauer" strikes back with a burst tire On April 1, 2019, the "Konrad Adenauer" hit back after a four-month overhaul. The ageing Airbus behaved badly on its first outing after its forced hiatus. Foreign Minister Heiko Maas was on board when one of the tire's burst upon landing in New York. The plane had to be towed to a parking space, with the delay forcing Maas to miss an appointment at the UN Security Council.

Grounded: Problems with Germany's government planes Crash landing Also in April 2019, a Bombardier Global 5000 was severely damaged in an emergency landing after problems during a test flight. Pilots lost control of the plane shortly after take off and when attempting to land, where it jolted off the runway. The flight was a test flight after weeks of maintenance on the aircraft.

Grounded: Problems with Germany's government planes Maas delayed again In May, Foreign Minister Heiko Maas was delayed for a third time after engine trouble struck the Bundeswehr A321 he was travelling on for his first trip to Bulgaria. The plane's pilot blamed the failure of an auxiliary turbine, which supplies compressed air to the plane's engines, for the tardiness. Author: Davis VanOpdorp



tj/msh (AFP, dpa)

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