Military aircraft C-27 J SPARTAN, having 31 people onboard, 24 Romanian citizens and seven from other EU member states, took off from Tripoli Airport, at 20.45 hrs. on Friday, February 25, heading for La Valletta Airport in Malta, where it is planned to stop for refueling.

After the stopover, the C-27 J SPARTAN heads for Bucharest where it is expected to land after 02.00 hrs. on the Henri Coanda International Airport.

C-130 HERCULES, on its second mission, is on standby on the airport in Malta, for an undetermined period of time, ready for any emergency, in accordance with the number of flights established by the Ministry of National Defence and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The mission Romanian Air Force conducts these days is the first if this kind since WW2. The defence minister is permanently updated on any developments. He ordered the crisis cell organized by the defence ministry to take any steps necessary to evacuate Romanian citizens who request it through the responsible authorities.

Following the activation of the EU monitoring and information mechanism for civil protection with a view to assisting European citizens in Libya, in the spirit of cooperation and solidarity with EU states, the Minister of National Defence Gabriel Oprea, approved that Romanian military aircraft allow foreign citizens onboard along Romanian ones.

The Ministry of National Defence will keep public opinion informed on the flights made by the military aircraft conducting this mission.

MoND Press Office