Overview
- A Bundeswehr Bombardier Global 5000 diverted to the Seychelles during a long‑range Africa training flight after a technical defect and is expected to remain there until repairs and clearances allow departure.
- French forces airlifted replacement parts, including a hydraulic pump, on an A400M and the Defence Ministry says repairs have been carried out on site.
- The ministry says the flight was a routine 'Africa‑training' to give crews experience with radio‑beacon approaches, hot‑and‑high performance and tropical weather that crews may face in uncontrolled African airspace.
- Public attention rose after AfD MP Malte Kaufmann posted a photo of the plane, prompting the ministry to publicly deny a VIP holiday and opponents to press for more transparency about government flight use.
- The incident has reopened questions about Flugbereitschaft efficiency because the ministry told parliament that about half of the unit's segments in the first half of the year were positioning flights and the fleet remains based in Cologne rather than Berlin.