Turkish A400M flies to Misurata avoiding Greek FIR once again

A Turkish Air Force Airbus A400M (reg. 21-0118, c/s TUAF840) conducted today a transport flight from Konya Air Base to Misurata, Libya.

What stands out, once again, is the route chosen by the aircraft.

Instead of taking the shortest and most direct path across the Aegean Sea and southern Greece, the A400M followed a significantly longer track: westbound over northern Türkiye, then across Albania and southern Italy before turning south towards Libya. This deviation adds several hundred kilometres to the flight compared to the direct route.

The reason is the same that applies to all Turkish military aircraft: they systematically avoid entering Greek airspace and even the Greek FIR. Ankara does not file flight plans for military aircraft transiting Greek-controlled airspace, and Athens consequently denies passage. As a result, Turkish military flights toward the central Mediterranean routinely bypass the entire Greek area of responsibility.

It should be noted, however, that even if such a flight plan were submitted, it is highly unlikely that Greece would authorize a transit toward Libya, especially considering the current NOTAM in force over the region.

Today’s mission fits perfectly into this well-established pattern. The track flown by TUAF840 mirrors that of other recent Turkish military flights bound for Libya, underlining once again how political and operational frictions between the two countries continue to shape military aviation routes in the region.

The aircraft eventually reached Misurata after crossing the central Mediterranean, without ever entering Greek airspace or the Athens FIR.