On an unscheduled basis, Tom Jobim International Airport (Galiao), in Rio de Janeiro, received a visit from an Airbus A330-200 from AirTanker, in service of the Royal Air Force (RAF). The plane took off from the Falkland Islands Friday afternoon (9) on a regular flight to Brisbane Norton, with a layover in Cape Verde, but ended up taking turns.
As shown in the image taken from the flight tracking platform Flight Radar 24 (Below), registered aircraft G-VYGJ was already crossing Brazilian airspace, on the coast of Espiritu Santo, when it made a sharp left turn to begin approaching Galeão.
The reason for the deviation has not yet been publicly announced. However, this wasn’t the first time such a flight had landed in Rio de Janeiro, as it had done on previous refueling occasions. But this time the scale was not expected.
AirTanker is a privately owned company, serving contracts with the British Government for military and civilian transport. Their aircraft are often seen on flights connecting the UK to the Falkland Islands on dedicated passenger and air cargo services. Aircraft are carried by the airline’s civilian employees and passengers are served by civilian cabin crew.
The company has other contracts and operates the Royal Air Force Voyager (modified A330-200). Voyager is the largest aircraft in the fleet and performs a multi-purpose function, as it is also capable of operating in in-flight refueling (REVO) and aeromedical evacuation. Agreements with the RAF are valid until 2035.
The AirTanker service supports the strategic and tactical operation of the aircraft in the RAF, including all operational aspects, flight crew management, training and maintenance. In all, the RAF owns 9 Airbus A330-200s and leases five other AirTanker-owned aircraft – however, all of them are operated by the latter.
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