BERLIN, April 16 (Xinhua) -- A jet of the German Armed Forces had to make an emergency landing following a malfunction and consequently blocked flight operations at Berlin Schoenefeld Airport for several hours on Tuesday.
The crew of the jet had managed to "bring the jet to the ground under the most difficult conditions and thus prevent worse", said German Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen.
The emergency landing of the jet of the type "Global 5000" occurred shortly after take-off.
"The aircraft had ground contact with both wings. And a controlled landing was no longer possible," a spokesperson of the German air force told the German Press Agency (dpa).
According to the German air force, there were no passengers on board and the crew had medical checks after the incident. There are no reports of injured people.
"I have great respect for the piloting skills of the air force crew", the German defense minister aid. Now the cause would have to be clarified quickly.
The airport Berlin Schoenefeld announced that operations were interrupted for hours because of the incident. "Flights approaching are diverted," the airport tweeted.
