Swiss jetfighters escort aircraft carrying Russian journalists to Peru
LISBON. Nov 18 (Interfax) - Swiss Air Force jets escorted a Russian aircraft in Swiss airspace on its way from Moscow to Peru on Friday, an Interfax correspondent, who was onboard the plane, reported.
The aircraft is carrying Russian journalists and a number of Russian delegation members to accompany President Vladimir Putin at an APEC summit in Lima.
The fighters bearing clearly visible Swiss flags approached the Russian airliner and escorted it for some time, swapping round.
The fighters were flying so close to the Russian airliner that even their side numbers could be seen.
The captain explained to the passengers that this was "routine practice" on this route.
However, journalists from the presidential pool could recall only one such occurrence, and this occurred when the country above which the Russian plane was flying was hosting a NATO summit at the time.
The fighters finished escorting the passenger plane only after it left Swiss airspace.
President Putin will fly to Peru onboard another aircraft from Sochi, where he has worked this week and held a series of conferences with the Russian military leadership and top managers of Russian defense enterprises.