The military aircraft C-130 HERCULES, having 56 Romanian citizens onboard, took off from the Tripoli Airport in Libya on Thursday, February 24, at 23.30, heading for La Valletta Airport in Malta, to refuel.

After this stopover, C-130 HERCULES will head for Romania where it is expected to land in the morning, on the Henri Coanda International Airport.

The other aircraft, the C 27 J SPARTAN, stays on La Valletta Airport in Malta, to be used on Friday, February 25, according to the number of flights decided upon by the Ministry of National Defence and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The two Romanian military aircraft took off on Thursday, February 24, from the 90th Airlift Flotilla in Otopeni, Romania.

The Romanian Government adopted on Wednesday, February 23, a decision on the special measures to be taken following the crisis situation and humanitarian crisis underway in the Great Socialist People's Libyan Arab Jamahiriya. As a consequence, the Minister of National Defence Gabriel Oprea ordered that two military aircraft be prepared to fly to Libya and evacuate the Romanian citizens there.

The Ministry of National Defence and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs continue to monitor the number of flights necessary in order to be able to evacuate from Libya, all Romanian citizens that made or would make a request to this effect.

MoND Press Office