TIRANA, April 15 – German federal police had to escort Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama from a Lufthansa flight in December 2021 for refusing to wear a mask, according to German newspaper Der Spiegel as quoted by local media on Friday.
Der Spiegel referred to testimonies from fellow passengers who claimed that Rama vehemently refused to mask up on a flight from Frankfurt to Detroit, despite it being required of all passengers.
Reportedly, cabin crew were forced to call the vessel’s captain and then the federal police given Rama’s behavior.
Rama complied only after a government employ visited him in the Senator’s lounge and the airline was forced to rebook him and his ten-person crew on another flight to the United States. The airline nevertheless waved any potential fines for disobeying mask mandates.
“A possible fine for violating the obligation to wear a mask on board was removed,” Der Spiegel’s article said.
According to the newspaper, Lufthansa CEO Carsten Spohr had already alluded to the incident without revealing the politician’s name, but arguing that everyone—from common passengers to heads of state—are required to wear masks when travelling.
As the news became top story in Albania
Rama’s chief spokesperson Endri Fuga released a tweet where he refuted the claims that Rama was escorted because he refused to wear a mask.
According to him, the incident was caused by a crew member’s misconduct. The tweet is accompanied by the first paragraph of a letter from Lufthansa where the airline apologizes for the incident. /Argumentum.al
