4.5 tons of fuel consumed!: Baerbock drives a bus – the plane flies empty after her

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German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock (42) has been busy posting photos and excerpts from her trip to the US in recent days. On Tuesday, the Green Party politician left Austin for Houston. She and her delegation traveled by bus through the state of Texas, stopping at a “real Texas BBQ grill” along the way.

As research by ‘Bild am Sonntag’ shows, the government plane A350 flew behind the minister on the same route in an empty flight – and used tons of kerosene in the process. The plane flew 45 minutes from Austin to Houston. The empty flight consumed approximately 4.5 tons of fuel. The reason for the flight: Baerbock had to continue from Houston to Wichita Falls – therefore the empty flight was apparently necessary, according to the German Foreign Ministry.

In Wichita Falls, Baerbock visited German fighter pilots during their training at Sheppard Air Force Base. Large passenger planes do not normally land at the military airport. A corresponding entry and exit machine is said to have been delivered from Oklahoma for the German minister’s two-hour visit. As “Bild am Sonntag” reports, the delivery would have cost around $10,000.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs provides an explanation

That’s a lot of criticism. “As so often, green pseudo-morality passes the reality check,” criticizes Deputy CDU Secretary General Christina Stumpp (35). “Bus ride for the photo, but an empty flight to pick up. Ms. Baerbock preaches climate protection, but does not follow through on her own announcements. Typically green: lots of show, little substance,” she continues.

But the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has an explanation for the empty flight. This is due to the “close planning of the Secretary of State’s appointments and the prescribed rest periods for the flight crews”. From Washington, Baerbock then took the train to New York for appointments to the United Nations. (gs)

Source: Blick