A Ukrainian Il-76MD heavy transport aircraft flew over southern Poland on Monday, November 9, and continued on to Belgium. The flight was open, and its purpose was not disclosed.
Flight route
The aircraft, belonging to the Air Force of Ukraine, most likely took off from Lviv and headed west. Information about its presence in Polish airspace around 11:40 a.m. was published by Polish Military Radar, a service that tracks the movements of military aircraft.
According to this data, the aircraft bypassed Tarnów and Kraków, and at the height of Jastrzębie-Zdrój entered Czech airspace. It then flew over the Czech Republic and Germany and landed in Belgium.
Not the first such flight
Similar flights by Ukrainian Il-76MD aircraft have been recorded before. On Friday, October 16, such an aircraft entered Polish airspace near Przemyśl and flew on over the Czech Republic, Germany and France. On Monday, September 21, an Il-76MD crossed Polish airspace twice on its way to the Beauvechain base in Belgium and back. At the end of August, a Ukrainian Il-76 landed in Dęblin instead.
The Il-76MD is a heavy military transport aircraft that can carry several dozen tonnes of cargo. It typically performs logistics tasks.
As of publication, neither the Operational Command of the Armed Forces nor the Ministry of National Defence (MON) had issued a statement on the matter. Nothing indicates that the flight was an incident: it was open and could be followed on public services.
