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Aeroflot Jet Skids Off Cyprus Runway

An Aeroflot jet carrying 287 passengers and crew skidded off the runway at Larnaca Airport in Cyprus after a tire blew out during landing Wednesday. No one was hurt.

The Russian-built Il-96 jet arrived after a three hour, 30 minute trip from Moscow and skidded onto an adjacent taxiway, airport spokesman Adamos Aspris said.

Aeroflot Flight No. 2070 departed from Sheremetyevo Airport around 5:50 a.m. and arrived at 8:20 a.m. in Cyprus, according to online flight tracker flightstats.com.

The Cyprus Tourism Organization predicts a 50 percent increase in Russian tourist arrivals this year, from nearly 335,000 Russian visitors in 2011.

(AP, MT)

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