As the humanitarian crisis in Ethiopia worsens, Djibouti becomes one of the main gateway hubs for international aid into the region. Transport aircraft of all shapes and sizes enter the pattern to bring in much needed supplies.....
It's exhausting work for the flight crews, but even the tragic crash of an Italian G-222 who's pilot reacted just a little too slow to a vicious downdraft doesn't stop the activity at the airport for long...
Local airline services continue too..
Aid is transferred to a variety of tactical transports for the onward journey into Ethiopia
A virtually unmarked Boeing 707 cargo bird is next in on finals
It's paperwork says it's a charity charter flight bringing in medical aid from Bahrain, but if so why does it taxi over to an isolated area of the military part of the airport on landing before proceeding to the civilian area to offload it's cargo?
And who were the guys hurrying from the briefly halted 707 to a waiting USMC CH-53E that received immediate permission to take off and set course for the Ethiopian border?
To be continued....