‘Ship with us and get your business moving,’ according to the UPS corporate blurb but the shipping company was not counting on the wide reaching scope of Portugal’s already bulging treasury.
The Tax Authority yesterday pounced and seized a Boeing 707 flying the flag for Demark’s Star Air which is under contract to UPS, the international parcels delivery service.
The aircraft was boarded with the back-up of Portugal’s PSP police in case of any argument, sequestered and its capain told to leave his aircraft where it stood in front of the TAP maintenance hangar.
Which company is the taxman after? The Star Air 767 has the insignia of ABX Air, subsidiary of Airborne Express, a freight carrier providing contract service flying express cargo routes for DHL in the USA.
Star Air is a Danish cargo airline, part of the A.P.Moller-Maersk Group, based at Copenhagen Airport with a hub in Cologne.
UPS is UPS, a massive worldwide company delivering parcels and lots of 'solutions' for customers.
Whoever is on the receiving end of the tax authority’s uncompromising action, thousands of parcels had to be unloaded and transferred to an alternative aircraft as the tussle over 'who owes what to whom' continued for three days.
UPS remains tight-lipped any questions but airports operator ANA said on Thursday that everything is back to normal.
