Just seen a C17 Globemaster painted in civilian Qatar Airlines livery.
Any idea for the reason? Is this aircraft for civilian or a military use?
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asked Sep 6 '15 at 6:49
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$\begingroup$ The picture is taken from the web but the plane I saw is actually that one as I live very close to the runway. $\endgroup$ – Fabrizio Mazzoni Sep 6 '15 at 7:03
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$\begingroup$ Recent news where the c17 may come in handy presstv.com/Detail/2017/07/09/527905/… $\endgroup$ – grumpasaurus Jul 9 '17 at 13:13
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It is a military C-17 of the Qatar Air Force, one of the four in operation.
It is in this livery as it is being operated by the Qatar Amiri Flight, a VIP airline owned and operated by the government of Qatar. The vast majority of the Qatar Amiri Flight fleet is painted in the standard livery of Qatar Airways, like this A340 below.
The aircraft is only operated by the Qatar Amiri Flight, not owned by it. The picture below shows the Qatar Air Force roundel on the underside of the wing.
Source: www.youtube.com
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1$\begingroup$ So what does a vip airline use a C-17 for? Seems an odd choice to fly the royal family around in. $\endgroup$ – TomMcW Sep 6 '15 at 17:33
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20$\begingroup$ It's a bit awkward trying to fit a royal limousine into the cargo bay of an A340. $\endgroup$ – Mark Sep 6 '15 at 18:57
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1$\begingroup$ The US does the same: Air Force One arrives with the president, and in the background a USAF C-5 has already unloaded the presidential motorcade. $\endgroup$ – Hobbes Jun 14 at 13:03
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1$\begingroup$ Jeez, what a waste of gas. Can't the prez ride inside in the car while the car rides inside the C-5? $\endgroup$ – quiet flyer Jun 14 at 16:40
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It is for military use. As you can see from your photo, the registration code is "MAB" and this site links that aircraft to the Qatar Emiri Air Force:
Current fleet:
- A7-MAA
- A7-MAB
- A7-MAC
- A7-MAE
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5$\begingroup$ Interesting find! The livery makes it appear as if it is intended less for military use than for promoting the national airline. This is a quite expensive flying billboard. $\endgroup$ – Peter Kämpf Sep 6 '15 at 11:49
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1$\begingroup$ @PeterKämpf I cannot find any data on the livery. Could be used for double purpose: military transport AND civil billboard. $\endgroup$ – Federico♦ Sep 6 '15 at 11:57
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$\begingroup$ @Federico. Yes, no difference, I was searching, but couldn't find one different either. $\endgroup$ – mins Sep 6 '15 at 14:28
