A Boeing 737-800 aircraft belonging to TAROM provided a flight to Mali for the 120 Romanian soldiers, who are part of the second rotation mission of the „Carpathian Pumas“ Detachment, in the African Republic.
The aircraft, controlled by a crew of the Romanian National Flag Carrier, took off on Thursday, April 16, from Bucharest International „Henri Coandă“ Airport, to Gao, Mali, and returned to the country on Friday, April 17.
The flight was made on the request of the Ministry of National Defense and was carried out with the support of the Romanian Embassy in Tunisia, the Romanian Embassy in Algeria, the Romanian Embassy in Senegal and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
„We are now in a situation that forces us to adapt, at individual level, but also at business level. During all this period, at TAROM we have tried and I think we have succeeded to identify opportunities to keep our aircrafts, as long as possible, where they belong, up in the air. The transport of the Romanian soldiers to Mali was more than a new opportunity, it was an honor to provide them our support. I wish them good luck in the mission and we are waiting them back home .“ said George Barbu, TAROM CEO.
The 120 soldiers who left on Thursday to Mali to ensure the second rotation of the „Carpathian Pumas“ Detachment are part of the UN Multidimensional Integrated Mission for Stability in Mali (MINUSMA).
Before taking the mission, the soldiers have stayed in isolation for 14 days and they have been tested for COVID-19.
A soldier from Moldova Republic, member of the EU instruction Mission in Mali was on board of TAROM aircraft on the return flight to Romania. After landing in Bucharest, the soldier was repatriated in Moldova Republic with the help of the Romanian Authorities.