Etihad Airways yesterday flew 16 tonnes of United Arab Emirates aid to Beirut, the capital of Lebanon. The support was dispatched following a deadly explosion in the city on Tuesday. So far, over 100 individuals have been confirmed as deceased as a result of the incident.
On Tuesday, a vast portion of the city of Beirut was crippled by a massive explosion, with a force that some suggested was more powerful than the US military’s most massive non-nuclear bomb. Since then, we have seen several airlines mobilize their fleets to send aid and repatriate citizens.
Etihad’s aid flight
Recently we have seen Etihad operating some aid flights on behalf of the United Arab Emirates’ government. The most high profile of these flights saw two historic cargo flights to Israel, the first by a UAE registered aircraft, to deliver medical aid bound for Palestine.
These flights, a part of the UAE’s humanitarian response to the COVID-19 crisis around the globe, saw the nation put aside its political differences in recognition of the need of humans around the world. The United Arab Emirates has no diplomatic relations with Israel.
The most recent flight saw Etihad use one of its Boeing 777s to fly aid to Lebanon. The aircraft, A6-ETG, departed from Abu Dhabi with the precious load, bound for the explosion hit city of Beirut. The plane was carrying a consignment of 16 tonnes worth of aid bound for the country.
It was not immediately clear what aid was being flown to the nation. However, photos of the support being loaded onto the aircraft show “UAE AID: for Lebanon to fight Coronavirus (COVID-19)”. As such, one would imagine that the aid consists of medical equipment for the state at its time of need.
The flight’s details
Etihad’s aid flight was operated by one of the airline’s Boeing 777 aircraft. The aircraft, registered as A6-ETG, is a 9-year-old Boeing 777-300, according to data from FlightRadar24.com.
According to flight data, the aircraft departed from Abu Dhabi at 18:35 yesterday. Following a 3-hour 41-minute flight, the plane touched down in Beirut. The Boeing 777 remained in Beirut for around an hour and a half to unload its cargo before departing at 20:50. Following another 3-hour and 24-minute flight, the aircraft arrived back at its Abu Dhabi home in the United Arab Emirates at 04:15 the next morning.
Commenting on the mission, Etihad Airways said:
“The United Arab Emirates aid programme supported by Etihad Airways, has also assisted more than 1 million medical workers worldwide by supplying personal protective equipment (PPE), medical and food aid in support of the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.”
What do you make of Etihad’s aid flight? Let us know your thoughts in the comments!