Lufhhansa Cargo bullied by Russian state

How strange is that? Just when you thought there is no bolder move possible (besides the endles charades of presidential term prolongation, Georgian Rose-Raids or Weapons-Disarmament-Treaty-Leaving), you open the newspaper and read about Lufthansa Cargo being tried to be "hijacked" to abandon Astana airport in favour of Russia's Krasnoyarsk Yemelanovo airport.
How to do it? Well just let a permit to cross Russian airspace expire (for which you earn decent cash anyway), let the politicians "talk" about it and try to resolve the problem; then just "suggest" that your aiport is so much nicer.

(Well, maybe Borat's fellow countrymen will have to find other means of transport soon. Or not!? Courtesy of LH Cargo)

And now, whichever decision is made, it tells you a lot on how business is entwined with politics in Russia and how state officials "lobby" the economy. Following the discussion on Airliners.net of aviation industry experts across the globe, creates a clear picture. Russia probably shot itself in both feet with this LH Cargo stunt.

Well, a possibility might also to switch to Almaty, a move we would recommend strongly. And be it just to teach Russian politicians what not to do. The German daily FAZ speculated that the whole bullying has to do with Lufthansa's recent announcement of moving its Moscow passenger operations from Sheremetyevo to Domodedovo. Our recommendation: move even sooner. Sheremetyevo is a big mess anyway.