A German passenger jet with 87 people on board including one of Germany's most senior politicians, Social Democrat Party chairman Franz Müntefering, made an emergency landing at Stuttgart airport on Monday because its undercarriage couldn't be fully lowered. No one was seriously hurt.
The Fokker 100 jet was operated by Contact Air, a partner of German national carrier Lufthansa. Its 82 passengers and a crew of five were evacuated through emergency slides after the plane landed on a foam carpet. Five passengers suffered from shock and one female flight attendant was taken to hospital for observation.
"It was a serious, a very serious situation," said Müntefering, 69, who is due to speak at an election campaign rally in Stuttgart later on Monday. The SPD shares power with Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservatives and Müntefering as party chairman has a key role in campaigning ahead of the Sept. 27 election.
"We spent a long time circling, then tried the approach and then had to make an emergency landing," Müntefering. "Everyone in the plane was very disciplined. We owe our thanks to the pilot who put in a masterful performance and to his crew who handled the situation professionally."
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