Airline in crisis Lufthansa wants to get rid of state influence

Status: 15.06.2021 9.45 a.m.

The largest German airline wants to raise additional money on the capital market for its realignment. In doing so, the group is trying to reduce the federal government’s ability to influence as quickly as possible. Lufthansa has initiated its planned capital increase. According to a mandatory announcement yesterday evening, the aviation group mandated four banks to implement the measure. However, according to the announcement “The Management Board and the Supervisory Board have not yet made a decision on the scope and timing of a possible capital increase”. Companies raise capital by issuing additional shares; the shares of the existing shareholders are thus diluted. The company is now implementing the approval of the shareholders received at the general meeting in May. The airline is allowed to raise up to 5.5 billion euros in fresh capital on the capital market. According to media reports, the management initially only wants to mobilize around three billion euros in order to push ahead with the restructuring of the company.

Exclusive 06/01/2021

Billion dollar rescue package

Lufthansa also wants to reduce the influence of the state through the capital increase. Lufthansa was in dire straits due to the Corona crisis and had to be supported by Germany and its other locations with a financial framework of nine billion euros. Germany accounted for a total of 6.8 billion euros of the state rescue package for Lufthansa. However, the airline group only made use of around two billion euros of the guaranteed funds. Half of this has already been repaid with the money from new bonds, so that Lufthansa currently owes the state around one billion euros. A capital increase of three billion euros would enable the company to repay this amount earlier than previously planned. The state would then soon have to sell its block of shares, for which it paid around 300 million euros.

Group wants to drastically reduce costs

With the withdrawal of the state participation, Lufthansa would have more leeway again. Because in return for state aid, the company has to adhere to various conditions: for example, a ban on paying dividends to shareholders or distributing interest to bond owners. Bonus payments to managers are also not yet possible. So far, the plan was not to pay off the state aid until 2023. Even drastic cost savings are probably easier to implement without government influence. According to earlier information, Lufthansa wants to reduce the number of employees in Germany by another 10,000 to 100,000. To this end, Lufthansa wants to lower tariff standards, encourage employees to leave the company voluntarily, but also issue redundancies for operational reasons. The unions had already made concessions in the Corona crisis, but recently accused Lufthansa of evading tariffs.

The approval of the state fund is still pending

The federal government’s economic stabilization fund (WSF), which has a 20 percent stake in Lufthansa, is expected to participate in the capital increase – but without spending additional taxpayers’ money on it. The WSF still has to approve the plan, said Lufthansa. The Corona financial aid fund wants to participate in the capital increase with a so-called “Operation Blanche”. A shareholder sells part of his subscription rights for the new shares in order to exercise the remaining subscription rights with the proceeds. No additional tax revenue is required for this transaction. The MDAX company also announced a new profit target for 2024 in the evening. By then, experts estimate that aviation should return to pre-crisis levels. The adjusted operating margin, i.e. the ratio of operating profit to sales, should then reach at least eight percent, and the return on investment should be at least ten percent.

EU funds for holiday flyers Aid for Condor declared null and void

As of: 06/09/2021 1:00 p.m.

The EU court annulled a decision of the EU Commission that allowed German aid for the Condor airline. Ryanair had sued against the release. Ryanair has achieved a success against state corona aid for the German airline Condor before the EU court (EGG). The judges overturned the EU Commission’s decision to approve the aid. The decision of the Brussels authority was not sufficiently justified, said the court in Luxembourg. In practice, however, this initially has no consequences: the effect of the declaration of invalidity was suspended until the EU Commission has passed a new decision. This means that Condor does not have to repay the money immediately.

Loan of 550 million euros

Germany had registered the aid in favor of Condor in Brussels in April 2020. This involved two government-secured loans with reduced interest rates in the amount of 550 million euros. The background was damage caused by the cancellation or postponement of flights due to travel restrictions in the corona pandemic. The low-cost airline Ryanair complained, among other things, of violations of the free movement of services and filed a lawsuit against the release.

Connection with bankruptcy proceedings?

At Condor, the situation had worsened due to the bankruptcy of the parent company Thomas Cook in autumn 2019, which preceded the corona crisis. The airline was only able to continue working with rescue aid of 380 million euros, which was also approved by the EU. The insolvency proceedings initiated at the time had to be extended after the outbreak of the Corona crisis because the new owner, the Polish aviation company PGL, had jumped off. The 550 million euros in government aid also included costs that resulted from the extension of the insolvency proceedings at Condor. Ryanair had argued that the commission had not explained why it had even included the extended insolvency period when calculating the damage to Condor from the corona crisis. The Condor case is one of many in which Ryanair is taking action against state corona aid for competitors. So far, the plaintiff has succeeded in some cases but not in others. (Case T 665/20)

On May 25, the Center for Disease Control of Ho Chi Minh City informed about current regulations for people leaving the country who want to be tested for Covid-19 services. Accordingly, testers must register in advance on the Covid-19 service testing software on the website hcdc.vn or contact the hotline: 0869.559.453 – 0908.355.357 for instructions. Regarding the dossier, the person testing the Covid-19 service to exit needs to bring his passport and air ticket (for exiting by air); Passport, letter of guarantee or invitation from the guest to enter and the company’s letter of introduction (if any) when exiting by land. For exiting by water, an additional crew book is required. When going to a medical facility, the person testing must make a medical declaration and wear an N95 mask (bring it by yourself). Sampling time: Between 8am – 11am from Monday to Friday at 957 3/2 Street, Ward 7, District 11. Results will be returned between 8:00am – 10:00am the next day from Monday to Saturday at campus 125/61 Au Duong Lan, Ward 3, District 8. Regarding testing costs, testers pay (directly or by bank transfer) an amount of VND 734,000/test. If you want to get test results on the same day of sampling, pay an additional fee of 116,000 VND for quick test, get results from 5 pm to 6 pm on the same day at 125/61 Au Duong Lan facility, Ward 3, District 8. Step 1: Visit https://www.bluezone.gov.vn or download directly at App Store or CH Play. Step 2: Once downloaded, the application will ask for permission to use Bluetooth to record contact with other users who have installed Bluezone. If Bluetooth is not already on, drag the status bar and turn on Bluetooth; or go to Settings, select Bluetooth and turn it on. Step 3: Once the installation is done, click Scan Around. If someone near you less than 2m has used Bluezone, the application will automatically identify these users and put them in the contact list.

The MiG-35 is an upgraded product of the MiG-29K/KUB and MiG-29M/M2, which is currently undergoing final testing. “The MiG-35 is in the state-level general testing stage and has already obtained preliminary certification to obtain the certification,” said Musheg Baloyan, Director of the MiG-29M and MiG-35 Aircraft Program at the MiG Aircraft Corporation. can be put into pilot production. Pilots love these planes because they are easy to operate and offer many advantages.” MiG-35 . fighter The MiG-35 is the 4++ generation of aircraft. They are equipped with a series of modern technology, but the fate is extremely bleak. Since its announcement in 2007, the development of the MiG-35 has been relatively slow. Only in 2013, the Russian Air Force announced plans to buy a total of 37 of these aircraft. Up to now, a total of 14 MiG-35s have been produced, of which 6 are in the process of testing and 8 are in the mass standard. Russia remains the sole operator and operator of the MiG-35. MiG-35 . fighter The Russian media must also admit that, although there have been many changes, it is the appearance that is almost unchanged compared to the MiG-29 that makes them lose their attractiveness, besides, despite having an engine with a thrust direction. multi-dimensional, but this RD-33MK engine is really just an improvement from the RD-33 that was born in the early 1970s. On the other hand, the RD-33 was never considered an excellent engine, They are quite fuel efficient and often emit black smoke trails. Previously, even the Russian Ministry of Defense also refused to order this fighter line, many sources also said that Russia was forced to buy MiG-35 to leverage the promotion and export of this aircraft. and most importantly, to save the plane maker Mikoyan from bankruptcy. Perhaps Mikoyan has to do more for the MiG-35 – because this is their only salvation at the moment – for this aircraft to become a ‘hot’ item similar to the Su-35, first of all. is the trust of the Russian air force itself, then the air forces of countries that have traditionally used Russian aircraft.

Illustration. (Source: VNA) The national airline (Vietnam Airlines – VNA), on April 26, said that the airline officially put into operation nine more routes to Phu Quoc from April 24 to 29. Accordingly, April 24 marks the first flight of VNA from Buon Ma Thuot to Phu Quoc. The next flights from Hai Phong, Vinh, Hue, Da Nang, Da Lat, Can Tho landed safely on April 25. Today (April 26), the first flight from Nha Trang to Phu Quoc and April 29 continues to welcome the first flight from Thanh Hoa to Phu Quoc. This is the first time VNA has operated five routes connecting Phu Quoc with Thanh Hoa, Nha Trang, Hue, Buon Ma Thuot and Can Tho. At the same time, four other routes were restored to meet the increasing demand for tourism in the summer, including between Phu Quoc and Hai Phong, Vinh, Da Nang, Da Lat. In particular, flights between Phu Quoc and Thanh Hoa, Buon Ma Thuot are operated every Tuesday, Thursday, and July and the rest are operated on Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday. Currently, VNA is operating a total of 11 routes to Phu Quoc. In 2020, the airline has made nearly 5,000 round-trip flights and transported 1.5 million passengers to Phu Quoc, accounting for 51% of the total number of passengers coming to Phu Quoc by air.

Bamboo Airway aircraft Along with this event, Bamboo Airway also announced to operate flights from Quy Nhon city to Thanh Hoa city (Thanh Hoa province) and vice versa, the route from Quy Nhon to Da Lat city (Lam Dong province). and vice versa. The operating frequency of these routes is as follows: Quy Nhon – Can Tho 5 flights / week; Quy Nhon – Da Lat 4 times / week and Quy Nhon – Thanh Hoa 3 times / week. With the opening of these 3 new routes, Phu Cat Airport is exploiting 7 routes with 60 departure and arrival flights per day. Vice Chairman of Binh Dinh People’s Committee Mr. Lam Hai Giang said that the inauguration of the flight route from Quy Nhon to Can Tho, Thanh Hoa and Da Lat marked a new development step in the field of passenger transport by air. and the tourism sector of Binh Dinh province. This contributes to the successful implementation of the Twentieth Provincial Party Committee Resolution of Binh Dinh Province with the goal of welcoming 4 million passengers by air in 2021 and 8 million passengers by 2025. Currently, Quy Nhon and Binh Dinh tourism are developing rapidly, the exploitation of the above routes will connect the tourist cities; travelers with access to faster-growing tourism hubs. Quy Nhon city currently welcomes more than 5 million tourists each year. Particularly on the occasion of April 30 and May 1, most hotels in Quy Nhon have been fully booked./.

This price has decreased by about 1 million compared to the time of booking 4 days earlier. A slight decrease in close-to-time fares has also been recorded on many routes to popular tourist destinations as airlines have increased flights to serve passengers. On the Ho Chi Minh City – Phu Quoc flight, Vietravel Airlines is the airline with the cheapest round-trip ticket price, at 2.3 million VND. In addition to this option, passengers can also travel with Bamboo Airways flights, the cheapest fare at VND 2.4 million or Vietjet Air (VND 2.6 million) and Vietnam Airlines (VND 2.7 million). ). The direct flight route Hanoi – Con Dao currently has the cheapest ticket price of 6.3 million VND, the carrier is Bamboo Airways. This ticket price has decreased sharply compared to the peak of 12 million VND when passengers booked tickets 2 weeks ago. The price of flight tickets for the sea resort close to the peak of April 30 – May 1 is cooling down thanks to airlines continuously increasing flights to serve passengers. Photo: Thach Thao. With the flight plan from Hanoi to Con Dao connecting to Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam Airlines Group is offering a ticket price of 5.1 million dong. Passengers save 1.2 million dong, but travel time will be twice as long. On the Ho Chi Minh City – Con Dao route, Bamboo Airways and Vasco are also competing fiercely on ticket prices. Vasco with ATR 72 offers a price of 3.2 million VND while Bamboo Airways with Embraer 195 aircraft with better flight experience is offering 3.3 million VND. Passengers from Hanoi wishing to fly at Ly Son island (Chu Lai airport) can use the cheapest flight from Vietjet Air at the price of VND 4 million. Other options for this route include Bamboo Airways (VND 4.7 million) and Vietnam Airlines (VND 4.9 million). From Ho Chi Minh City to Chu Lai, the cheapest fare is 2.5 million dong, the flight is made by Vietjet Air. Also on this route, Bamboo Airways offered the cheapest fare of 3.7 million dong and Vietnam Airlines had the cheapest ticket price of 3.9 million dong. From April 24 to April 29, Vietnam Airlines officially put 9 more routes into Phu Quoc into operation. Accordingly, April 24 marked the first flight of Vietnam Airlines from Buon Ma Thuot to Phu Quoc. The next flights from Hai Phong, Vinh, Hue, Da Nang, Da Lat, Can Tho landed on April 25. On April 28, the first flight from Nha Trang to Phu Quoc landed at 12:50 a.m. April 29th continues to welcome the first flight from Thanh Hoa to Phu Quoc. To serve the growing demand during the holidays April 30 – May 1, in six days from April 28 to May 3, Vietnam Airlines Group (including Vietnam Airlines, Pacific Airlines and Vasco) continued to increase the capacity of nearly 117,000 seats. , corresponding to approximately 570 domestic flights, bringing the total supply after two load increases to more than 610,000 seats, corresponding to nearly 3,200 flights. Travel companies also said that the package tours for the holiday season of April 30 to May 1, especially via air, are now full. Exchange with Zing Ms. Nguyen Nguyet Van Khanh, Deputy Director of Marketing Department of Vietravel, said that the business expects to welcome 15,000 retail customers during the peak of April 30 to May 1. Through recognition, the most popular destinations for the upcoming holidays are Phu Quoc, Con Dao, Tuy Hoa, Ha Giang, Sapa, Da Lat … Outbox Consulting also acknowledged that the domestic tourism market is about to enter its peak, with the demand for sea tourism up to 62%, followed by nature exploration in 48% of the survey participants.

COVID-19 patients must share a bed at Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Hospital, New Delhi, India. Photo: Reuters Are there oxygen scarcity in hospitals? The current emergency scarcity is not because India has run out of oxygen. The main problem is that the oxygen does not get to the hospital in time. The delay was due to the very remote location of the oxygen production facilities, the large redistribution network and partly due to the government’s “bad scheme”. Over the course of the past week, several hospitals in the capital New Delhi, which are incapable of meeting a large demand for oxygen, have called for an urgent supply of oxygen. However, at the same time, the epidemic situation in the neighboring New Delhi states such as Uttar Pradesh and Haryana was also very bad, the number of hospitalized patients was overloaded, making factories have to give priority to meeting demand. local bridge. Therefore, hospitals in the capital have to order factories further from the industrial zones in the east of India. Why is the oxygen delivery delayed? Industrial oxygen production plants that serve the Indian capital are located in seven different states. Some factories are more than 1,000 kilometers from New Delhi. A vehicle transports oxygen outside an oxygen plant in Ghaziabad, a suburb of New Delhi, India. Photo: Reuters Due to the flammable nature of this material, all shipments of liquefied oxygen must be transported in special storage tanks, with detailed transportation plans to ensure timely deliveries, the source bear the name said. Over the past few days, as the interstate medical oxygen scramble in India worsens, some local authorities have disrupted the oxygen delivery to meet their local needs. before. As a result, Delhi received only 177 tons of pure oxygen on April 21, instead of 378 tons as allocated. However, some local sources said that hospitals in New Delhi have ordered without including the time to transport oxygen across many states by land. “It won’t happen if states plan and order two to three weeks earlier,” the source said. The Delhi government also did not respond to the plan to buy oxygen. Does India have enough oxygen production capacity? Medical personnel check oxygen tanks at a temporary quarantine facility in New Delhi. Photo: Bloomberg India’s daily production capacity can amount to at least 7,100 tons of oxygen, including for industrial purposes. This is enough to meet current demand. This week, the Government of India has decided to allocate 6,822 tons of liquid oxygen per day to the 20 states most affected by the COVID-19 epidemic. This is larger than the total demand of the localities with 6,785 tons, Prime Minister Narendra Modi Office said. On April 12, the amount of oxygen required by the health sector was only about 3,842 tons, just over half of the allotted oxygen, when the cases had not yet risen sharply. According to the Office of the Prime Minister of India, the oxygen capacity of India has increased by 3,300 tons in just a few days thanks to the shift of production of steel mills and industrial units to the medical sector. What will India do to deal with the oxygen crisis? Relatives funnel a victim who died of COVID-19 in a cemetery in New Delhi. Photo: Reuters. The government has mobilized Indian cargo ships to transport oxygen tanks from the factory to locations in most urgent need. In partnership with industrial gas corporation Linde India (LIND.NS) and many other companies, India is also using Air Force cargo jets to deliver empty tanks to production plants. Then, these tanks are refilled again and returned by road. In addition, the Indian armed forces are importing 23 mobile oxygen production machines from Germany to prepare for a worse situation. Many other industries are also reported to be supporting pure oxygen in hospitals. India’s multidisciplinary Tata group has imported 24 specialized containers for the transportation of liquid oxygen. An employee dismantles the oxygen tank from the car down to feed it into an oxygen pump plant. Photo: Reuters The government also issued an order to convert argon and nitrogen storage tanks for medical oxygen transportation. However, experts predict that India will face an increasing trend of daily cases in the next few weeks. Therefore, the country will have to increase production and distribution of these special types of medical supplies in the coming days.

Railroad Minister Piyush Goyal said the government was directing an increase in express trains carrying medical oxygen to New Delhi to meet shortages in hospitals. The Air Force has also been deployed to help transport manpower and medical supplies, such as oxygen tanks, to the areas needed. Pictured are empty oxygen tanks transported by transport aircraft C-17 and IL-76 to the production plant. Photo: ANI. The convoy of tank trucks went to the supply plant to refill liquid medical oxygen, amid a wave of Covid-19 spreading across India. In the past 24 hours, India continued to record a record number of new infections: 354,531 – the highest level in the world and also the highest in this country ever. Photo: Reuters. The lack of oxygen in New Delhi hospitals has many causes. The industrial oxygen production plants that mainly serve the Indian capital are located in seven different states. In addition, due to the flammable nature of this material, all liquid oxidation shipments must be transported in specialized tanks; So it takes a long time to plan the shipping. Some localities even make it difficult to transport oxygen first, to meet local demand. Photo: Reuters. Vans carrying oxygen tanks are waiting outside the factory in Ghaziabad, a suburb of New Delhi, India, on April 22. A high court in the capital on April 24 warned that anyone would “hang” from obstructing the circulation of oxygen supplies. On Twitter, one person described the scene of a police car escorting an oxygen tank “a scene no one thought they would ever see in life. More precious than gold”. Photo: Reuters. A view of cashew around an oxygen factory in Ghaziabad, upstate of New Delhi, India. Factories across the country are operating at full capacity amid the spread of the disease. However, the supply is not enough to meet demand. India is importing 23 mobile oxygen production plants from Germany. Each facility can produce 2,400 liters of oxygen per hour. Photo: Reuters. A driver stood next to an empty tank truck, waiting for his turn to recharge with liquid oxygen. Many places in the capital New Delhi and across the country refuse to accept more patients due to lack of beds and oxygen. Photo: Reuters. A worker loads empty oxygen tanks on a truck to the filling station. On April 25, many countries around the world, including the US, France and the UK, said they would support India by providing raw materials for vaccine production, as well as ventilators, test kits and protective equipment. available. Photo: Reuters. An employee is refilling the oxygen tank to transport to the localities. The lack of treatment beds for Covid-19 patients, lack of oxygen for breathing machines, and lack of medical staff … have made the epidemic situation in India worse. Photo: AP.

India is facing the worst Covid-19 outbreak in the world in recent weeks. An ambulance carrying patients queued for admission to the state Covid-19 hospital in Ahmedabad City, Gujarat state, April 22. (Photo: AP) Medical staff assist in bringing patients of Covid-19 into hospital in Ahmedabad City. (Photo: AP) Last Friday, hospitals in the capital New Delhi signaled for help to the government when the supply of oxygen was only enough to use for a few hours. (Photo: AP) India’s hospital system falls into a shortage of hospital beds and medical oxygen when there are hundreds of thousands of new infections every day. This South Asian country can produce at least 7,100 tons of oxygen / day, including the amount of oxygen for industry. In theory, with the above mentioned output, India could meet the current oxygen demand. The main problem is that medical oxygen is not delivered in time to the hospital to save the patient. This delay stemmed from the location of the production units and distribution systems. (Photo: AP) Medical staff removed the patient from the scene of the fire at Vijay Vallabh Hospital for Covid-19 treatment in Virar, near Mumbai, April 23. Thirteen patients died from the incident. (Photo: AP) People queue for medical oxygen refills in New Delhi. On April 21, at least 24 people with Covid-19 disease in western India died after running out of oxygen supplies supplied to their breathing apparatus. (Photo: AP) To address the serious shortage of medical oxygen, the Indian government has mobilized the country’s railway industry to organize high-speed trains that carry oxygen from steel mills to areas where the epidemiology is most critical. Over the past 24 hours, these special trains have transported nearly 150 tons of oxygen. (Photo: AP) The government also uses Indian Air Force cargo planes to transport empty containers to production centers. After being filled with oxygen, the tank will be transported to localities by road. The Indian armed forces are importing 23 German oxygen-producing mobile devices. In addition, the government has ordered the conversion of argon and nitrogen storage tanks into oxygen tanks. According to experts, in the coming days, the number of cases in India will continue to increase strongly, the country will have to solve two problems of oxygen production and distribution simultaneously. (Photo: Xinhua) According to the latest statistics, the state of Maharashtra accounts for 27% of India’s 2.5 million Covid-19 cases that have not been cured and 33% of India’s more than 190,000 deaths. Mumbai City plans to build 16 facilities in 12 hospitals in the area to produce oxygen from the air. It is estimated that this plan will require a cost of 12 million USD. (Photo: AP) Residents wait for the Covid-19 vaccine at an immunization center in Mumbai, April 24. According to experts, along with increasing supplies of medical oxygen, drugs and other medical supplies, boosting Covid-19 vaccination will help India get out of the current dangerous wave. India has the strength of one of the most vaccine-producing countries in the world. According to the ANI news agency, India will start the third phase of the Covid-19 vaccination campaign on May 1, with all 18 years of age and older. Residents can register for the vaccination from April 28. According to India’s Health Ministry data released yesterday, the country has injected 138,379,832 million doses of vaccine since the start of vaccination on January 16. (Photo: AP)

Brian Robson and the suitcase were packed neatly in the package. Photo: Getty Image

As soon as he took a flight from Wales to Australia, Brian Robson quickly realized he had made a big mistake when he emigrated to the other side of the world.

Unfortunately, the 19-year-old does not have the money to cover the costs of the immigration plan nor can he afford a plane ticket to return home. Realizing he had not many options, Robson came up with a plan to pack himself in a box and send it home by air.

Now, more than 50 years after his risky journey, Robson once again tells his story hoping to help him find two old friends to help him pack and send them back to the UK.

“The last time I spoke to John and Paul was when one of the men knocked on the barrel asking if I was okay. When I say okay, they wish me luck and hope to see each other again soon, ”Robson told CNN Travel.

Spectacular idea

A year before deciding to pack himself back home, Robson was a bus assistant in Wales. He found another job at the Victorian Railways railway company – the main railway operator in Victoria (Australia) at that time.

Immediately after his 19th birthday, Robson bought a plane ticket to Australia in the hope of changing his life. However, when he came to Melbourne and took a job, Robson found that the living conditions here were too big and decided to return home. He worked for a railway company for about 6-7 months, then changed to work as a paper mill worker.

Despite wanting to return to his homeland, Robson had financial difficulties, when the Australian government asked him to reimburse the support fee that brought him here just as he needed money to fly home.

“Costs fall from about $ 960 to over $ 1,000. But every week I only earn 41 USD. That’s not possible, ”Robson calculated.

Robson met two friends John and Paul while on his way back to the inn. The three quickly became close. When they went to a trade show, they saw a booth from UK-based shipping company Pickfords with the ad: “We can deliver anything, anywhere.” .

That advertisement gave Robson the idea of ​​risking. The very next day, Robson went to the office of Qantas Airlines in Melbourne to find out the process of sending a package abroad. He carefully notes the size and weight of the allowed package, as well as the required documents and shipping fees.

After having enough information, Robson returned to the inn and discussed with the two friends. They take at least a month to prepare everything. All three bought a wooden box with dimensions of 76 x 66 x 96 cm to ensure the inside of the box has enough room to hold both Robson and suitcase.

Robson brought a pillow, a flashlight, a water bottle, a urine bottle and a small hammer to open the box when he arrived in London. All three also rehearsed once before officially suing Robson sent back to England.

Airport staff checking the cargo box discovered Robson inside. Photo: Getty Images

The journey is full of pain

“The first 10 minutes of being in the box is pretty good. But my knees started to tighten when pressed against my chest, ”Robson recalls. The parcel with Robson was loaded onto the plane just hours after he arrived at the airport.

Robson’s first British journey to the UK was a 90-minute flight from Melbourne to Sydney. However, Robson was in great pain.

When the package arrived in Sydney, the staff members put it upside down on the runway. “I was upside down on my neck and head during the 22 hours in transit,” Robson describes.

Due to running out of cargo space on Qantas to London, Robson’s cargo had to board another plane to Los Angeles (USA) and the journey was extended.

“This flight takes about 5 days. I couldn’t take any more pain and couldn’t breathe normally. I fell asleep and lost consciousness, ”said Robson, trapped in the shadow of a box and struggling with pain and hallucinations. “There was a time when I felt like I was going to die. I just want everything to happen quickly ”.

When the plane landed at its final destination, Robson waited until night to use his hammer to remove the nails from the box and escape. However, his plan was not flawed because two people working at the airport discovered light from inside the cargo box.

“Those people must be amazed. Someone kept screaming, someone was here. I cannot answer. I could neither speak nor move, ”Robson realized he was in America because of the voices of the other two employees.

After confirming that the people in the cargo box were alive and not posing any threat, the airport staff rushed Robson to the hospital. The guy takes at least 6 days in the hospital to recover.

Although Robson came to the US illegally, he did not face any charges. Robson was even arranged to fly to London in the first class seat.

The media hunted as soon as Robson arrived at London airport on May 18, 1965. Robson said his family felt very happy when his son returned but they were not satisfied with what he did.

In the days that followed, Robson haunted his time in the box and guilt over his two friends. Robson never thought of the case that if he died on that trip, his two friends would face criminal charges.

Now, as a 76-year-old man, Robson wants to see his two friends again and apologize to them.