This is not unprecedented in the region, but it has never happened when the sender and the target country were separated by a conflict zone, such as Ukraine in the present case.

Szabolcs Hullán, deputy head of nuclear safety at the state nuclear energy office, confirmed the report, and said preparations for a permit are under way.

He said air transportation can be resolved technically, adding that nuclear fuel arrives by plane to Slovakia and Romania.

Experts interviewed by Népszabadság said air transportation is three times as expensive as rail, on average, before insurance is taken into account.

Nobody was able to tell Népszabadság whether the idea of air transport of nuclear fuel needs to be reassessed after the downing of a Malaysian aircraft over Ukraine.

Source: Hungary Around the Clock

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