Secretary of State Antony Blinken has been left stranded in the Swiss city of Zurich.
Bloomberg reported Wednesday that Blinken, who was in Switzerland attending the World Economic Forum, was informed he was unable to fly back to the U.S. due to a problem with the aircraft.
Anthony Blinken is stranded in Davos because his Boeing 737 has been deemed unsafe to fly, as an oxygen leak detected previously could not be remedied.
— zerohedge (@zerohedge) January 17, 2024
Blinken was scheduled to travel on a modified Boeing Co. 737, although authorities cancelled the flight after the discovery of an oxygen leak.
A smaller aircraft was sent to collect Blinken, and many of his staff were forced to fly back to the U.S. on commercial flights.
The issue will create further embarrassment for Boeing, whose flights have recently been plagued by a series of technical and safety issues.
Last week, regulators grounded all of its Boeing 737 Max 9 jetliners following a major incident on an Alaska Airlines flight earlier this month when a door plug “blew off” mid-flight.
Passengers traveling on the Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 (N704AL) when its door plug flew off mid-flight, are being offered an amount of $1,500 to compensate for the harrowing experience. The travelers will also receive a full refund for their tickets.#aircraft #aviation #safety pic.twitter.com/LZnHngMuMy
— FL360aero (@fl360aero) January 11, 2024
Is air travel becoming less safe?
The incident has also raised questions about Boeing’s hiring practices amid greater scrutiny of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion hiring practices, which have led to criticism from figures, including businessman Elon Musk.
Elon Musk rips Boeing for ‘prioritizing DEI hiring over your safety’ https://t.co/mgcahKcFSy pic.twitter.com/Aoakp6meHR
— New York Post (@nypost) January 12, 2024
During his speech at the WEF on Tuesday, Blinken blamed climate change and the conflicts in the Ukraine and the Middle East for causing issues, including mass migration and food shortages.
“Shifting climate patterns force neighbors to compete for dwindling resources, further straining ethnic tensions, destabilizing entire communities,” Blinken declared.
“Meanwhile, Russia’s attacks on fields, on granaries, on ports in Ukraine, the world’s breadbasket, have disrupted global markets, making food harder to afford and harming the poor and most vulnerable most of all.
“In the Red Sea, through which 15 percent of the world’s commerce passes, Houthi attacks have forced ships to take longer, more expensive routes, further raising the price of food and energy,” he continued.
“The United States has been and is working intensely to tackle this food crisis and support those who are most affected by it.”
