FlightAware, a US aviation tracking website, reported that a Turkish military cargo aircraft has landed in western Libya on Thursday.
The tracking details provided by FlightAware revealed that an Airbus A400M Atlas (with the registration number 17-0080 and call sign TUAF744), part of the Turkish Air Force, journeyed from Mürted Air Base in Ankara to the Al-Watiya base.
FlightAware further outlined that the Turkish aircraft left Ankara at 11:00 AM. After reaching the Al-Watiya base, it departed at 02:57 PM, setting course for West Africa.
FlightAware also mentioned a similar event that occurred the previous day: “A Turkish Airbus A400M Atlas military transport aircraft (bearing the registration number 14-0028) arrived from West Africa, briefly paused at Libya’s Al-Watiya base before resuming its journey back to Turkey.”
Al-Watiya is a significant military base situated southwest of Tripoli, Libya. It has been a central point of conflict in the ongoing Libyan Civil War, which started in 2011 following the removal of long-time ruler Muammar Gaddafi. Various factions have been vying for control of the country, including the former Government of National Accord (GNA) and the Libyan National Army (LNA) led by Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar.
The Al-Watiya Air Base changed hands multiple times during the war. Most recently, in 2020, the GNA, with the military support of Turkey, managed to capture the base from the LNA. Turkey’s involvement in the conflict has been substantial, providing drones, air defence systems, and military advisors to support the GNA against the LNA.
The Airbus A400M Atlas is a European, four-engine turboprop military transport aircraft. Its design is suited to perform both tactical and strategic airlift missions, along with transporting heavy “outsize” cargo. The Turkish Air Force is one of the several international customers of this aircraft.
This also suggests that Turkey is continuing its allies in west Libya, showing a persistent foreign involvement in the ongoing Libyan conflict. The recorded flights might be part of Turkey’s efforts to supply its allies with military hardware or personnel, though the exact contents of these transport flights are typically not public knowledge.
