March 09, 2007	Friday	Safar 19, 1428

GROZNY (Russia), March 8: The first passenger plane landed at Grozny’s airport on Thursday after a seven-year break imposed by the southern republic’s war for independence from Russia.

A Tupolev 134 from the Aeroflot Don airline touched down at Grozny’s reconstructed runway at 12:50pm (0950 GMT) after a two-and-a-half-hour flight from Moscow.

Ramzan Kadyrov, appointed president of the Southern Russian province by President Vladimir Putin and lawmakers last week, welcomed the first passengers. More flights to other major Russian cities would be announced soon, he said.

But while he stressed the safety of the brand new complex, armed guards were nevertheless posted at the airport entrance.

Grozny was often the site of fierce fighting during the two wars that Russia has fought in Chechnya since the mid-1990s, and was almost completely destroyed.

The capital is now quickly being rebuilt by the current pro-Russian leadership in a bid to show that the province has returned to normal.

But last month Council of Europe human rights commissioner Thomas Hammarberg confronted Kadyrov over charges that Chechen police was behind the kidnappings and torture.—AFP