Aeroplane from Japan cleared for radiation
Swiss International Air Lines has for the first time tested one of its planes arriving from Japan for radioactivity. The test at Zurich airport came back negative.
The aeroplane, which had come from Tokyo and stopped over in Hong Kong, landed at Zurich just before 8am on Wednesday.
On Friday a massive earthquake and tsunami devastated northeast Japan and crippled a nuclear power station, raising the risk of uncontrolled radiation.
A spokesman for Swiss said none of the passengers was screened, but the plane itself didn’t show the slightest trace of radioactivity.
“There is no reason to believe the passengers had been contaminated,” he said.
The airline said it would from now on measure the radioactivity of all planes coming from Japan.
Swiss International Air Lines is flying once a day to Tokyo – only with Japanese tourists returning home – with an interim stop in Hong Kong, allowing them to reassess the situation and shorten turnaround time in Tokyo. Crews change in Hong Kong.
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