That they’re a “treat for plane-spotters” is hardly the point here
Timesofmalta.com reports this evening:
Treat for plane spotters as Chinese cargo aircraft arrive
Two Chinese-built Shaanxi Y-8 landed at Malta International Airport this afternoon, a rare a treat for plane spotters.
The type is considered as being China’s most successful military and civilian transport aircraft.
It is believed that the aircraft are on a delivery flight to the Venezuela Air Force.
The Shaanxi Y-8 is based on the Russian Antonov An-12 and entered service in 1981. It has since been upgraded several times.
That they’re a treat for plane-spotters really isn’t the point here. More pertinent would be a few questions as to what they are doing here in the first place.
“It is believed that the aircraft are on a delivery flight to the Venezuela Air Force”. It is believed? You mean, like the tooth fairy and Father Christmas?
Newspapers have information, not “beliefs”.
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Where’s Graffiti and KMB with their neutrality issues… when you need them.
A free base for China in the Mediterranean!
Fejnhom tal-Graffiti! Mela nsejna kemm kienu jaghmlu storbju mhabba nukleari u li huma bicciet tal-militar barrani li jnaqqas is-sovranita’ tal-pajjiz u kummiedji ohra.
Imma issa kollox jghaddi. Ajruplani tal-gwerra Cinizi fi triqthom lejn il-Venezuela. Tghid mhux biex iwasslulhom il-fjuri.
So we’re only neutral when it suits our purposes I see.
What if the Maltese government has a deal with China to allow Chinese planes to transit through Malta without any questions or searches? Nobody gives you a Eur4 million report for free.
Who knows, maybe they’re here to check if Joseph is stamping his feet hard enough for EU to hear him.
Great, now Malta has become the perfect stepping stone between the few remaining communist (or almost) countries
I was under the impression that such flights would take the northern route, over Greenland, etc, then down to South America.
Taking a straight line route, including a landing in Malta, is very fishy.
made in china
Delivering parts to the new gas fired power station, perhaps?
Why in military planes?
For once I don’t think there is any skullduggery afoot.
Firstly, it’s well documented on websites like this for instance, http://defenseupdates.blogspot.com/2012/11/first-2-y-8-transport-aircraft-headed.html, that Venezuela is buying said aircraft and that deliveries began early last year.
Secondly, the aircraft seem to be painted in delivery paint schemes, that is just white undercoat, with the exception of the rudder. This bit is done by the factory since it needs to be precisely balanced, and even a few grams of odd paint can ruin it’s alignment.
Thirdly, it’s a slow, noisy, vibrating aircraft. Diplomats and CEO’s of companies don’t like them very much- they tend to go with sleeker jets.
And lastly, they are supposed to depart tomorrow, which is the norm for a technical stop. Aircraft like this don’t have the range to fly from China to Venezuela non-stop, so they do it in a series of hops.
No one’s disputing that. The central question is, why did they stop here?
The aircraft are built somewhere around Xi’an. The shortest route between Xi’an and Venezuela would be northern, almost polar, via Scandinavia and the USA – many of the NATO heavyweights.
I’d assume they wanted to avoid this so they routed south. I suspect Africa was ruled out because it’s jetstream season there, which is a high altitude wind that flows west to east, contrary to their direction of flight, slowing them down abominably.
So, to answer your question, probably a combination of politics, weather and logistics. Incidentally, they departed earlier today.
Cinizi, suldati jfittxu fid-dghajjes, gurnalisti mghajra waqt konferenza stampa, persjani mizbughin homor u haddiema b’kwalifika vokazzjonali ordnati jkahhlu.
http://www.maltarightnow.com/?module=news&at=Jintu%26%23380%3Baw+nursing+aides+biex+ika%26%23295%3B%26%23295%3Blu+u+jbajdu+fl%2DIsptar+t%27G%26%23295%3Bawdex&t=a&aid=99849007&cid=29
Kull ma jonqos Rock-a-Buzz, Glamour Sugar Free u giraffa go xi gnien ta’ ministru. .
China now has a free base in a European country, and in the Mediterranean. That is not good!
Yes, China will be owning our electricity supply, and we will be at their mercy.
Scroll down to Haanxi-Y8 .-
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Venezuelan_Air_Force
You will notice six are on ‘order’.
These are two of the six mentioned.
Nothing suspicious about that.
Amazing research. Now to the real question. Why did they stop over here?
China’s developing a fleet that can be replenished from coastal bases, doing away with the cumbersome supply ships in a traditional flotilla.
Increases speed of maneouverability and cuts down response times.
Yes, how come these logistics craft, in oversupply it seems, made their stop in strategically located Malta?
Yes, how come they flew the longer route? And why here rather than any other Mediterranean country?
I think we can safely say that this was not the first batch of equipment for the new power station. That will be shipped in shortly.
But it is clear that China is now more than comfortable using Malta as a coaling station. All those anti-British idiots who wax lyrical about Il-Helsien and the evils of the British military base, would you please welcome the new military base of the People’s Republic of China.
Oh and long may you-know-who rot.
Thanks.
To refuel en route to Venezuela.
Subsequenty, carriers of ths type were designed to carry 90 passengers over short to mid range journeys.
I can see the Mintoffian reply from the Push Back government:
“It is not in the national interest why Chinese cargo planes have made a rare visit to Malta while on their way to Venezuela.”
Joseph says we have a navy, so it may possibly be an idea for our Air Force?
The elephant in the room rolled onto its back and trumpeted, but still journalists saw and heard nothing.
Am I the only one who is finding all this “buddy-buddiness” with the Chinese a little bit too reminiscent of the time under Mintoff?
What is the cargo? Weapons?
Maybe Edward Snowden is making a distraction manouvre towards Venezuela while everyone thinks he’s up in Russia? (that would be another whistleblower’s (disappearing) act.)
Chinese military land on Malta – Yet more plus points scored in the Rogue States world ranking.
DID THE AFM SEARCH THE WHOLE PLANE FOR STOWAWAYS?
Maybe they’re delivering Chinese built AK-47 Machine Guns?
Daphne, I was watching the news on TVM this evening (after 11 o’clock) and I feel that I heard one of the most racist comments uttered in the past two weeks.
I would like your and your readers’ opinion about it.
TVM were reporting about detention centres. They interviewed a centre director (or whatever his title is) who started out well by talking about preparing immigrants for integration into society.
I thought he was going to speak about teaching languages spoken in Malta or teaching about Maltese traditions. Little could prepare me for what he was about to say next, which left me open-mouthed.
He said that migrants need to be taught what it means to live in a European country. They need to be taught the concept of a queue. They need to be taught how to wash and they need to be taught how to defecate in a toilet instead of on the floor.
He might have mentioned a few more lowly things that they need to be taught but I can’t remember.
He didn’t qualify his comments in any way. He made it sound like all migrants need to be taught these concepts.
Personally, I refuse to believe that most migrants have no basic concepts of hygiene, not to mention the fact that I find the idea of Maltese people teaching others how to queue laughable.
Can any of your readers shed any light on the veracity of this man’s claims? What exactly goes on during these integration classes?
I feel he was exaggerating and fanning the flames of racism. He sounded like he had just pulled a bunch of Mowglis out of the jungle.
He might as well have just said that African migrants are a bunch of savages.
A truly wonderful way of helping migrants integrate into Maltese society.
We need a new Malta Taghna Lkoll Update:
Ministry names Industrial Tribunal new chairpersons
Charmaine Cristiano Giordano, James Pearsall, Yana Micallef Stafrace, Josann Cutajar, and Katrina Borg Cardona are the new chairpersons.
Don’t know what all the fuss is about. Antonov An-12s have been seen in Malta as far back as the early 1970s. This is just a ‘Chinese’ version.
Definitely on delivery to the Venezuelan Air Force but carrying Chinese registrations, albeit temporary ones.
Malta is often used as a staging post for such delivery flights.
Chinese planes landing in Malta while there is a PN government does not worry me. PN are pro-EU with a good track record in foreign policy.
The same planes landing during a Labour administration boasting staunch communists like Alex Sceberras Trigona and an anti-EU agenda sets my alarm bells ringing. Malta’s new Chinese foreign policy is not helping either.
It’s a matter of credibility and trust. Labour scores poorly on both values.
Muscat sold Malta to China while he was still in opposition. Hadn’t he boasted about having signed a long term agreement with China?
Now he’s exposing the thin end of that wedge.
Your comment is my opinion too. I sincerely hope the PN and the EU will come to our rescue – we really need both of them. And it is in such circumstances that we really need the EU’s help and not with irregular immigration. I am convinced that there is something sinister brewing underhand.
Why wait for the PN and the EU to come to our rescue? You can ask your MP to ask questions in parliament, write to the Labour MPs in your district, write letters to the newspapers, expose wrongdoing when you see it, and generally make it awkward for this ridiculous gingerbread man to think of himself as some sort of statesman while the rest of the world tweaks his strings.
A good move -Maltese people can’t be trusted to run this Island anymore.
Perhaps these planes are delivering, bit-by-bit, our new gas-operated power station. Reno Calleja might be able to throw some light on the matter.
In other news, I’ve seen Franco Debono walking up Republic Street alone but with TWO phones. He, somehow, was using his Blackberry and iPhone simultaneously.
How cool is that?
Sending SMSs to himself, maybe?
Could this set up a feedback loop that would swallow him up? If so, I see a glimmer of hope. To your mobiles, lads! The number’s 999 888 77.
Where is KMB about neutrality?
Various signs are indicating plans that Malta is going to become a hub for Chinese human rights violators.
Isn’t it time Muscat told us what’s in that he agreement he signed on our behalf when we hadn’t elected him to do so?
Here he is, boasting about it, as if it were something normal in a supposed democracy.
http://www.scribd.com/doc/128130324/Joseph-Muscat-says-he-signed-an-agreement-with-China-on-Malta-s-behalf-it-Torca-18APR2010