Belgian Air Force Airbus A321 operates repatriation flight from Bamako, Mali

Last night, the Belgian Air Force Airbus A321 registered CS-TRJ operated a repatriation flight (BAF634) from Bamako, Mali to Brussels Airport. Onboard, 97 citizens from 15 nationalities, including 11 South Koreans and also a few American citizens who were stuck in Mali.

The aircraft arrived safely at the military airport of Melsbroek this morning, after which the aircraft and the airport building, as well as the passengers’ baggage, were thoroughly disinfected by decontamination teams.

The flight from Bamako was the seventh repatriation flight operated by the 15th Wing of the Belgian Air Force, after:

• Wuhan via Istres on 2 February (A321 from Istres to Brussels, after HiFly A380 from Wuhan to Istres),
• Tenerife South on 22 March (A321),
• Bamako on 27 March,
• Kigali and Bujumbura on 4 April (A330),
• Niger on 8 April, and
• the Democratic Republic of Congo on 11 April (A330 with medical supplies from Brussels on the outbound trip).

Afgelopen nacht arriveerden 97 passagiers uit 15 landen in België. Nadat de Airbus van Defensie z'n wielen op de grond heeft gezet en de passagiers het toestel en de luchthaven hebben verlaten, houdt het werk voor ons personeel echter niet op #COVID19BELDEF pic.twitter.com/L6y5nOhxyz

— Belgian Defence (@BelgiumDefence) April 15, 2020

The @BeAirForce #A321 brought back 87 people of no less than 14 different nationalities. Multinational cooperation at its best to bring our citizens back home safely. #COVID19BELDEF @Mofa_Belgium https://t.co/N9pUoT6bdm

— Belgian Air Force?? (@BeAirForce) April 15, 2020

On the night of 14 to 15 April, a repatriation flight from Bamako in #Mali (97 passengers from 15 countries) arrived at the military airport of Melsbroek, #Belgium. After landing, both the aircraft & airport were thoroughly disinfected by decontamination teams #COVID19BELDEF pic.twitter.com/sG8OjOgfVV

— Belgian Defence (@BelgiumDefence) April 15, 2020

In these challenging times, more than ever, our strong transatlantic partnership is proving its value. #COVID19

???? Yesterday, we helped American citizens return home safely with our @BelgiumDefence repatriation flight from Mali. #AmericansHome pic.twitter.com/62me5OpaWW

— Belgium MFA ?? (@BelgiumMFA) April 15, 2020