Belgium will deploy a military aircraft for a humanitarian mission to Beirut. The Airbus A330 MRTT aircraft registered T-057, part of the NATO Multinational Multi Role Tanker Transport (MMU) fleet, is set to depart from Cologne, Germany around 12:30 (local time) and will deliver medical supplies to hospitals and return to Belgium with Belgian nationals and other EU citizens wishing to leave Lebanon, amidst ongoing instability in the Middle East region.
The MMU fleet, based in Eindhoven and Cologne, supports various European nations, including Belgium, for both strategic transport and air-to-air refuelling missions.
The Airbus A330 MRTT can carry up to 250 passengers. While many individuals have expressed interest in leaving Lebanon, the exact number of passengers will only be known at takeoff.
Woensdag om 12:30 stuurt Defensie een MRTT-vliegtuig naar Libanon om de repatriëring van ?? te ondersteunen. Defensie waakt over de veiligheid van alle ??. Dank aan ons personeel voor hun inzet
— Ludivine Dedonder (@DedonderLudivin) October 9, 2024
The multinational MRTT fleet now has 7 aircraft with the arrival of 2 new A330 MRTTs in Eindhoven
UPDATE
The flight (OAN47) suffered a technical problem and made a U-turn above the North of the Adriatic Sea. It has landed back at Cologne/Bonn airport.
FURTHER UPDATE
Another Airbus A330 MRTT with registration T-058 (pictured above) took off from Cologne on 10 October to Beirut and picked up 58 Belgians, and 53 Dutch, French and Luxembourg citizens. It is expected at 21:15 at the military airport of Brussels.
