Moscow clears Finnair plane after radiation checks

MOSCOW, Dec 2 (Reuters) Russian authorities gave the all-clear today to a Finnair plane after delaying it for five hours for radiation checks, the Finnish carrier said.

Russian officials are on high alert after Britain began monitoring several planes for radiation as part of a wider probe into the death from poisoning of former Russian spy Alexander Litvinenko.

Russia's transport ministry said the Airbus A319 flight, which was to fly 70 passengers from Moscow's Sheremetyevo airport to Helsinki, was delayed after traces of radiation were found on board.

Finnair's spokesman Taneli Hassinen said the investigation had discovered that the presence of radiation was due to a fully authorised low-level radiation cargo.

''The plane has finally got permission to fly back. A cargo shipment containing radioactive substance was likely to cause it (the radiation level). The situation is now over. It just took a long time to get permission to take off,'' he said in Helsinki.

The passengers had earlier been flown to Helsinki by Russian carrier Aeroflot.

Litvinenko, a fierce critic of President Vladimir Putin, died in London last week. The radioactive substance polonium 210 was found in his body.

British police said it had found radioactive traces at 12 out of 24 locations being checked in connection with his death.

British Airways said ''very low traces'' of a radioactive substance had been found on planes at London's Heathrow Airport.

REUTERS KP2253