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Taken January 2004 from Ulan Bator - ULN to London, England (Heathrow Airport) - LHR

SU564 Ulaanbaatar (Mongolia) to Moscow and on to London LHR was due to depart 0845 30.10.2004.

By 11.00 with no announcement in any language re the delay the 100 plus pax. pressed for an explanation. After an hour the Aeroflot rep. came to his Airport Office, spoke briefly with a few very concerned pax. and before I could speak to him he slammed the office door and actually ran from the building. We elicited from ground crew that the inbound Aeroflot plane had earlier broken wheels after a heavy landing and was now blocking the main runway to all international flights.

Our source said parts were being flown in - but the runway was blocked we observed! Come back at 22.00 the Airport official instructed. I did, only to be told to come back at 07.00.

I returned at 07.00 only to be told to wait till mid day. Still no Aeroflot rep. I complained to the Airport Manager, "Oh this normal for Aeroflot" he said. "It happens every week, the Rep. is never here when needed, it is always left to us, and we cannot speak for Aeroflot"

By afternoon we left in a replacement Aeroflot plane for Moscow the first plane having been towed off the main runway.

As we landed at Moscow a Russian speaking pax. just a seat ahead of me and seemingly known to the Flight Attendant, stood up as soon as the wheels touched the runway and opened the locker over the heads of pax. further down the plane... we were still bouncing down the runway at 150 + kph and so the contents of duty free bags fell out narrowly missing two pax. The attendants made no effort to remonstrate, whereupon 20 or so more pax. began to unload the o/head lockers with similar consequences as we were still moving at speed over the rough runway.

Now with the aisle totally blocked along the length of the plane the pax. could not move for the next 15 minutes or more until the doors opened at the parking stand.

Had there been a reason to evacuate the plane this would have taken many times the IATA Regs. maximum prescribed period. I have witnessed this similar total lack of control by Attendants on Aeroflot flights on many occasions. But this was the last time I care to witness this disregard for basic safety and I will not again travel on any Aeroflot flight and I would urge travelers to consider their own safety in this regard. I shall be sending a report to the Airport Director, Mongolia; to Aeroflot Moscow; to IATA and to all relevant travel mags.