The U.S. Aircraft That Could Not Enter Algerian Airspace Was Not Headed to Israel
The Claim
Algeria prevents a US aircraft carrying weapons to Israel from flying over their airspace.
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Emerging story
Recently, various social media accounts and pages have been sharing a claim alleging that a U.S. military aircraft, transporting weapons and en route to Israel, was forced to turn back due to Algeria's denial of airspace access.
Misbar’s Analysis
Misbar investigated the claim and found it to be misleading. The U.S. military aircraft was not headed to Israel, but was on en route to the Nigerien capital, Niamey.
A u.s. Military Aircraft Turns Back Near Algerian Airspace
Misbar conducted a review of air navigation data on Flightradar24, revealing that a U.S. military aircraft, a Boeing C-17 Globemaster III, departed from Lert airport at Rota military base in southwestern Spain at 7:28 UTC on Saturday, December 9. Its destination was Niamey, Niger, identified by the flight code RCH140.
During its flight, at 8pm, the aircraft reached the Algerian airspace off the coast of Oran, northwest of the country. The aircraft circled in the sky until 9:27pm before returning and landing in Rota at 10:06pm on the same day.
Communications Data Reveal Destination of u.s. Aircraft
Websites specializing in aircraft tracking picked up a communication from the Aircraft Communication Addressing and Reporting System (ACARS), in which the ground flight control center informed the aircraft’s captains about ongoing efforts to obtain a diplomatic clearance, and asked them how long they can wait before continuing the flight to Diori Hamani International Airport (DRRN) in Niamey.
Algeria Did Not Grant Diplomatic Clearance to u.s. Aircraft
On the X platform, a user known as “@thebaldgeek," who is the owner of the Airframes website specializing in aircraft tracking, shared two screenshots showing a conversation. In one of the messages, the ground flight control center says that they “just got word from the DAO Algeria that they are trying to contact Ministry of Foreign Affairs [of] Algeria. Once we here back we will notify you. No timeline."
In another message, it states, “Hold on for as long as possible. You can get more fuel at DRRN. DIP SHOP is working."
In a fourth message, it says, “Do just came over. Please return to Lert now. DIPS are not going to work today."
The Houthis Are Causing Disruptions to Global Trade Movements
This claim emerged as the Houthis continue intercepting commercial ships heading to Israel in the Red Sea and the Arab Sea. Their aim is to exert pressure on the Israeli occupation, demanding the allowance of humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip, against which it is waging a brutal aggression since October 7.
Since intercepting ships began, over 100 commercial cargo ships were diverted to go through the Cape of Good Hope in South Africa instead of the Suez Canal. This caused a disruption in global trade, increasing the distance traveled by ships by an additional 6000 nautical miles compared to pre-crisis routes. Consequently, it led to delivery delays ranging from three to four weeks and resulted in a 1.2% global surge in oil prices. This escalation in oil prices poses a threat of increased energy costs for consumers worldwide and exacerbates the existing inflation crisis.
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