Flight of the Falcon: The VIP Boeing Fleet
About a month ago, I announced that I had been tracking a large-scale airlift of Ilyushin Il-76 and Antonov An-124 cargo aircraft from Abu Dhabi International Airport to a UAE-owned private airstrip located deep in the Cholistan Desert in Pakistan. I established that the goal of these flights was likely to ferry supplies for UAE dignitaries from the UAE to Pakistan. They go to Pakistan to hunt the Houbara Bustard, an endangered bird species.
Now, a month later, their hunting expeditions seem to be over. This new blog post will attempt to quantify the size of the airlift consisting of cargo and VIP flights, and will propose an identity for the people actually going on these hunting expeditions. If you haven’t read the earlier blog post yet, I recommend reading that first - it’s linked below!
Presidential Flight flights
For this new blog post, I had a look at the organization responsible for Government Transport in Abu Dhabi: Presidential Flight, formerly known as Abu Dhabi Amiri Flight. According to Planespotters.net, their fleet of eight aircraft consists of:
One VIP Airbus A320 (reg. A6-DLM)
Two VIP Boeings 777 (regs. A6-ALN and A6-SIL)
One VIP Boeing 737-800 (reg. A6-AUH)
Two VIP Boeings 787 Dreamliner (regs. A6-PFC and A6-PFE)
Two Boeings 787 Dreamliner; unknown configuration (regs. A6-PFG and A6-PFH).
Besides the IATA airport code of Abu Dhabi International Airport, AUH is also the Three-Letter Designator Code (3LD) for Presidential Flight, an FAA database shows. Their telephony designator, essentially the name they use to identify themselves when talking to Air Traffic Control, is “Sultan”. For reference, British Airways’ 3LD and telephony designator would be BAW and “Speedbird” respectively.
The 12th and last cargo flight mentioned in my previous blog post was on 03 Jan 2022. No cargo flights were tracked on the following days. On the next day, 04 Jan 2022, a VIP Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner (reg. A6-PFC, flight AUH04) flew from Abu Dhabi International Airport to Al Habieb Airport in Pakistan. In the three weeks thereafter, three more VIP Boeing 787 flights, three VIP Boeing 777 flights and one VIP Boeing 737-800 flights took place, summing up to eight flights in total.
Worth mentioning is that the two Boeings 777 (A6-ALN, a smaller VIP Boeing 777-200 and A6-SIL, a larger VIP Boeing 777-300(ER)) remained on ground for over a week, landing at Al Habieb on 14 Jan 2022 and returning on 22 Jan 2022. I previously covered these two specific flights in the tweet shown below.
More cargo flights
Cargo flights from the UAE to Al Habieb and back to Abu Dhabi resumed on 22 Jan 2022, less than three weeks after the last cargo flight towards Al Habieb. In the two weeks following the last Presidential Flight flight to Al Habieb, a total of ten cargo flights flew from the UAE to Al Habieb Airport.
These flights departed from various UAE airports (including the aircraft’s home bases Fujairah and Al Ain) and all returned to Abu Dhabi International Airport’s Presidential Flight Apron. This suggests that they might have flown to Al Habieb empty and returned to Abu Dhabi loaded with the cargo they had delivered to Al Habieb a few weeks earlier.
A spatial overview of all 30 flights by cargo and VIP aircraft over December 2021, January 2022 and early February 2022 can be found in the illustration below.
A spatial overview of all 30 return flights between the UAE and Al Habieb Airport in Pakistan, Dec 2021-Feb 2022. Included are 8 VIP flights and 22 cargo flights. Shown tracks were downloaded from aircraft tracking websites.
On 24 Jan 2022, the last Presidential Flight flight flew from Abu Dhabi International Airport to Al Habieb and back. This flight is significant for a number of reasons:
Flight AUH06 was done by Presidential Flight Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner reg. A6-PFG. It is the only Presidential Flight flight to Pakistan that was not operated by an aircraft with a VIP configuration, according to Planespotters.net. Since this aircraft likely has no VIP configuration and cargo aircraft were again visiting the airport at the time, this flight may not have been carrying any VIPs but rather supporting staff.
The ADS-B flight track of this flight, seen on ADSBexchange, includes a position at 675 ft altitude, just down the end of Al Habieb Aiport’s runway. Lack of ADS-B coverage causes most flights from and to Al Habieb Airport to disappear before they get close to the airport. This flight is the only flight that was tracked this close to the airport. On top of the existing evidence, this flight adds further evidence for the fact flights indeed go to Al Habieb Airport.
ADSBexchange track of A6-PFG on 24 Jan 2022, tracking close to Al Habieb Airport.
Abu Dhabi Aviation
In my previous blog on UAE cargo flights to Pakistan, I included a set of “Abu Dhabi Aviation” flights. Over January 2022, these three Abu Dhabi Aviation Dash 8 propeller aircraft (A6-ADE, A6-ADK, A6-ADM) continued to operate around various airports in Pakistan and the UAE, including flights within Pakistan. Further analysis is required for this complex set of flights. In this blog post, I will therefore not further elaborate on them. I might further investigate these flights at a later stage.
What these flights tell us
All in all, the following flights have been tracked (Presidential Flight flights in bold):
25 Dec 2021: “Sapsan Airline” Ilyushin Il-76TD reg. EX-76008, KGB4941
30 Dec 2021: “Maximus Air Cargo” Ilyushin Il-76TD reg. UR-BXQ, MXM3702
31 Dec 2021: “Maximus Air Cargo” Ilyushin Il-76TD reg. UR-BXQ, MXM3702
31 Dec 2021: “Maximus Air Cargo” Antonov An-124-100 reg. UR-ZYD
31 Dec 2021: “Sapsan Airline” Ilyushin Il-76TD reg. EX-76008, KGB4941
31 Dec 2022: “Sapsan Airline” Ilyushin Il-76TD reg. EX-76005, KGB4943
01 Jan 2022: “Maximus Air Cargo” Antonov An-124-100 reg. UR-ZYD, MXM3727
01 Jan 2022: “Sapsan Airline” Ilyushin Il-76TD reg. EX-76008, KGB4941
01 Jan 2022: “Sapsan Airline” Ilyushin Il-76TD reg. EX-76005, KGB4943
01 Jan 2022: “Maximus Air Cargo” Ilyushin Il-76TD reg. UR-BXQ, MXM3702
02 Jan 2022: “Maximus Air Cargo” Antonov An-124-100 reg. UR-ZYD, MXM3723
03 Jan 2022: “Sapsan Airline” Ilyushin Il-76TD reg. EX-76008, KGB4941
04 Jan 2022: “Presidential Flight” VIP Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner reg. A6-PFC, AUH04
11 Jan 2022: “Presidential Flight” VIP Boeing 737-800 BBJ reg. A6-AUH, AUH11
12 Jan 2022: “Presidential Flight” VIP Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner reg. A6-PFC, AUH04
14 Jan 2022: “Presidential Flight” VIP Boeing 777-200 reg. A6-ALN, AUH03. Stayed at Al Habieb 14-22 Jan 2022.
14 Jan 2022: “Presidential Flight” VIP Boeing 777-300(ER) reg. A6-SIL, AUH02. Stayed at Al Habieb 14-22 Jan 2022.
22 Jan 2022: “Presidential Flight” VIP Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner reg. A6-PFC, AUH04.
22 Jan 2022: “Presidential Flight” VIP Boeing 777-200 reg. A6-ALN, AUH03. Stayed at Al Habieb overnight and returned on 23 Jan 2022.
22 Jan 2022: “Sapsan Airline” Ilyushin Il-76TD reg. EX-76005, KGB4943
24 Jan 2022: “Presidential Flight” Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner reg. A6-PFG, AUH06
24 Jan 2022: “Sapsan Airline” Ilyushin Il-76TD reg. EX-76005, KGB4943
24 Jan 2022: “Maximus Air Cargo” Ilyushin Il-76TD reg. UR-BXQ, MXM3704
25 Jan 2022: “Maximus Air Cargo” Antonov An-124-100 reg. UR-ZYD, MXM3722
26 Jan 2022: “Maximus Air Cargo” Antonov An-124-100 reg. UR-ZYD, MXM3721
30 Jan 2022: “Sapsan Airline” Ilyushin Il-76TD reg. EX-76005, KGB4943
30 Jan 2022: “Sapsan Airline” Ilyushin Il-76TD reg. EX-76007, KGB4941
31 Jan 2022: “Sapsan Airline” Ilyushin Il-76TD reg. EX-76005, KGB4943
31 Jan 2022: “Sapsan Airline” Ilyushin Il-76TD reg. EX-76007, KGB4941
01 Feb 2022: “Sapsan Airline” Ilyushin Il-76TD reg. EX-76007, KGB4941
Summing up all these flights, a clear pattern arises:
Over week 52 and 53 of 2021 and week 1 and 2 of 2022, a total of twelve cargo flights flew from Abu Dhabi to Al Habieb.
During weeks 2, 3, 4 and 5 of 2022, a total of eight Presidential Flight (VIP) flights flew on the same route.
In weeks 4, 5 and 6 in 2022, a total of ten cargo flights flew from Al Habieb back to Abu Dhabi.
This pattern has been visualized in the bar chart below.
I can only think of one logical explanation for this pattern: the earlier group of cargo flights to Al Habieb delivered all the equipment needed for a Royal Hunting Expedition. The eight VIP flights in the following weeks, some of them staying on ground for over a week, were related to Emirati dignitaries arriving to, doing their Hunting Expeditions around, and returning home from Al Habieb Airport.
After 12 cargo flights from Abu Dhabi to Al Habieb, there were 8 VIP flights by Presidential Flight to Al Habieb, finally followed by another set of cargo flights in late Jan 2022. VIP flights are flights operated by Presidential Flight. Cargo flights are flights operated by Maximus Air Cargo and Sapsan Airline. Week numbers have been derived using MS Excel’s default settings.
Sentinel satellite imagery
Satellite imagery can be used to gain additional insights in what’s going on at Al Habieb Airport. The EU’s Copernicus Programme offers free access to radar and RGB imagery at a resolution of 10 meters, in the form of Sentinel-1 and Sentinel-2 imagery respectively.
The exact mechanics behind radar imagery are too complex for this blog, but as a general rule of thumb, measured reflection means obstacles on ground. Dark areas (little reflection) represent smooth objects such as runways and aprons. Bright areas represent obstacles (e.g. vegetation, buildings, vehicles).
An analysis of Sentinel-1 radar images of Al Habieb Airport over the period December 2021 - February 2022, shown in the image below, shows a clear increase of activity followed by a recent decrease. Additional reflection can be seen around the edges of Al Habieb’s apron most clearly on the scenes of 09 Jan 2022 (just before the VIP airlift started) and 21 Jan 2022 (just before the VIP airlift ended). Increased reflection can also be seen at a compound some 800 meters northeast of Al Habieb Airport’s apron.
Over the same period of time, Sentinel-2 RGB imagery shows increased activity too. Satellite images of 31 Dec 2021, 10, 15, 20, 25 and 30 Jan 2022 show up to three aircraft on ground, and also show activity on and around the apron. Changes on the east and south edge of the apron, especially on the 25 Jan 2022 image, likely show vehicles being prepared to be loaded on one of the seven cargo flights remaining at the time.
Sentinel-1 and Sentinel-2 imagery of Al Habieb Airport over the period December 2021 - February 2022. Copernicus Sentinel data 2021-2022, processed by ESA.
Proposed identification: the House of Nahyan
The Royal Family leading the Emirate of Abu Dhabi is the House of Nahyan. After the President of the United Arab Emirates, Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, suffered a stroke in 2014, the day-to-day decision-making of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi has been carried out by Crown Prince Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
His day-to-day activities are reported in the form of press releases on the website of the Crown Prince Court. We can use the amount of press releases as a measure of the amount of work he is doing. On regular working days, around two press releases are issued per day. From 04 Jan 2022 onwards, very few press releases were released for a period of almost two weeks, until the Houthi attack on the UAE on 17 Jan 2022. This period started on 04 Jan 2022 and matches the up with the start of Presidential Flight flights to Al Habieb Airport.
Combining these two sources of information, my hypothesis is that Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan may not have been at work because he was on a vacation in Pakistan, perhaps participating in Houbara Bustard Hunting Expeditions.
From 04 Jan 2022 onwards, few press releases were issued for a period of almost 2 weeks, until the Houthi attacks on the UAE, 17 Jan 2022.
Summary
A total of 30 flights between the UAE to Al Habieb Airport in Pakistan and back were identified between late December 2021 and early February 2022. 22 of these flights are cargo flights that can be linked to the airlift of equipment from the UAE to Al Habieb Airport and back. The remaining 8 flights were done by Abu Dhabi’s Presidential Flight, mostly using VIP-configured Boeing aircraft. Two of them remained at Al Habieb for a period of 8 days (14-22 Jan 2022). The occurrence of Presidential Flight flights from the UAE to Al Habieb Airport and back matches up with a dip in press releases by the Crown Prince Court, suggesting that Crown Prince Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan might have been among the people participating in this Pakistani hunting expedition.
Corrigendum
In my earlier blog post, I published a video showing an Antonov An-124 and Ilyushin Il-76 cargo aircraft, as well as a smaller Boeing 737-800 aircraft. At the time, I identified this aircraft as “Dubai Air Wing” Boeing 737-800 reg. A6-HEH, because it was the only 737-800 I knew was carrying the distinctive color scheme of a red stripe on the side, together with a UAE flag on the tail. However, “Presidential Flight” A6-AUH carries a similar color scheme. Because the size of the flag on the tail as well as the double communication dome on the top of the fuselage of the aircraft seen in the video match A6-AUH and do not match A6-HEH, the aircraft seen in the video is likely not “Dubai Air Wing” A6-HEH but rather “Presidential Flight” A6-AUH.
A comparison of Dubai Air Wing A6-HEH, Presidential Flight A6-AUH and the aircraft seen in a video at Al Habieb Airport. Images by Konstantin von Wedestaedt and flybyeigenheer respectively, via Wikimedia Commons.
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Excellent work
Also check T7-AIG GLEX in connection with these flights