Paris - An emergency layover in Syria's capital was
bad enough. Then passengers on Air France Flight 562 were asked to open
their wallets to check if they had enough cash to pay for more fuel.
The
plane, heading from Paris to Lebanon's capital, diverted amid clashes
near the Beirut airport on Wednesday. Low on fuel, it instead landed in
Damascus, the capital of neighbouring Syria, where a civil war is
raging.
An Air France spokesperson explained on Friday that the
crew inquired about passenger cash only as a "precautionary measure"
because of the "very unusual circumstances". Sanctions against Syria
complicated payment for extra fuel.
He said Air France found a way to pay for the fill-up without tapping customer pockets - and apologised for the inconvenience.
The plane landed safely in Beirut.
- AP
