Since the beginning of the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine in February 2022, Slovakia, as a country directly bordering Ukraine, has been a NATO-state directly bordering Ukraine, Slovakia has a special role to play within the European defense alliance.
Sliac Airport in central Slovakia (located between Zvolen/Altsohl and Banská Bystrica/Neusohl on the River Hron) and Stefanik Airport in the capital Bratislava handle numerous military flights from various NATO countries. Among other things, a Patriot air defense system is stationed in Sliac. Most of these flights are operated with A400M, C-27, Lockheed Hercules or A321LR aircraft.
US Army opts for Boeing 747-400
A few days ago, however, the USA deployed several hundred soldiers at once on a special flight from Germany to Slovakia. They used a Boeing 747-400 operated by Atlas Air, which regularly transports passengers and freight for the US military for the US military.
First, the jumbo was transferred from Fort Liberty (until 2023 Fort Bragg), one of the US Army’s largest bases, to Hahn Airport in Germany. There, a contingent of soldiers boarded the Boeing 747, which then took off for “Bratislava Stefanik Airport”, the largest airport in Slovakia. While the 747 returned empty to Hahn in Germany, the soldiers were transferred onwards by ground-based buses.
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