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October 12, 2009
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Planespotting the 2009 United Nations General Assembly: A Primer, with Photos of Nearly Every VIP Visitor

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By: Matt Molnar
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Libya
Libya
Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi is seen here departing New York aboard his VIP Afriqiyah Airlines A340, 5A-ONE

Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi departs New York aboard his personal Afriqiyah Airways A340-200, 5A-ONE, following the 2009 United Nations General Assembly. (Photo by Eric Dunetz)

Every year in late September, just as Autumn’s first chilly winds begin to sweep across the northeast in a battle to drive out Summer’s last throes of sunny warmth, planespotters gather along the breezy banks of New York’s Jamaica Bay to witness one of the hobby’s greatest spectacles.

The yearly session of the United Nations General Assembly is without a doubt the greatest congregation of the planet’s leaders. Practically all of these dignitaries arrive aboard VIP aircraft, many of which are rarely—if ever—seen in North America. Some of them probably have not left their home country since the previous year’s Assembly. And nearly all of these planes, arriving from every corner of the globe, descend into the modern gateway to America, John F. Kennedy International Airport.

If rarity is the planespotter’s ice cream, UN General Assembly week is like the greatest sundae ever made.

Aside from their generally nationalistic paint schemes, most of these planes are visually indistinguishable from an airliner that one might board to take a weekend jaunt to Las Vegas or to visit grandma in West Palm Beach. And herein lies the one of the essences of planespotting: Observing—actually cherishing—differences in objects that are for the most part identical. Take, as an example, the most prolific airliner in service today, the Boeing 737. A planespotter can see one of the thousands of 737s operating airline flights at any hour at practically any major airport on the planet. But of the 4,500 very similar 737s currently in service, there is only one that reads “Equatorial Guinea” on the fuselage, and the only place you’ll see it in the Western Hemisphere is at JFK during UN General Assembly week.

Furthermore, many of the types of aircraft flown by visiting dignitaries are unique to Americans, as well. Leaders from Russia and Ukraine were flown in on three different types of Soviet-era Ilyushin aircraft, IL-68, IL-72 and IL-96, none of which have been seen regularly in the U.S. since Aeroflot upgraded their transatlantic fleet to western aircraft.

Some leaders fly aboard American-built airliners considered relics in the modern age. The President of Gambia, for example, uses a Boeing 727—a type that was state of the art in the early-1970s, but most were retired by American carriers by the early 2000s. His particular plane, registration C5-GAF, was delivered to the long defunct Northeast Airlines 43 years ago, and subsequently flown across the US filled with paying passengers for decades.

About This List

Listed here are all of the 2009 United Nations General Assembly VIP aircraft arrivals that we are aware of. The list does not include dignitaries who arrived on regularly scheduled flights, and it is probably missing some who chartered planes that are regular visitors to New York.

“File Photo” indicates the photo was taken during a previous year’s UN Assembly or somewhere else completely. If you have one from this year that you’d let us use, please contact us at news@nycaviation.com.

Many thanks to Senga Butts for his assistance in compiling this list, and all of the photographers whose work we feature below.

This list is apolitical and offers no judgment or critique of any of the visitors. It is simply a log of aircraft that planespotters may find interesting.

No dignitaries were harmed during the compilation of this list, and no laws were broken while gathering this information.

Country Carrier Aircraft Type / Registration Photo / Credit
Algeria Algerian Government Gulfstream V
7T-VPG		 Algeria02
Senga Butts
Algeria Air Algerie Airbus A330-200
7T-VGX		 Algerian Government Gulfstream V
Eric Dunetz
Argentina Argentine Government Boeing 757-200
T-01		 Argentina Government 757 Photo by Eric Dunetz
Eric Dunetz
Australia Royal Australian Air Force Boeing A36 (BBJ 737-700)
??? 		Royal Australian Air Force A36
Senga Butts [File Photo]
Brazil Brazilian Air Force Boeing 737-200
FAB2115		 Brazilian Air Force Boeing 737-200
Senga Butts
Brazil Brazilian Air Force Airbus A319
FAB2101		 Brazilian Air Force Airbus A319
Senga Butts
Bulgaria Bulgarian Government Tupolev Tu-154M
LZ-BTZ		 Bulgarian Government Tupolev Tu-154M
Senga Butts
Burkina Faso Burkina Faso Government Boeing 727-200
XT-BFA 		burkina-faso-727
Senga Butts [File Photo]
Chad Chad Government McDonnell-Douglas MD-87
TT-ABC		 chad-md87
Senga Butts [File Photo]
Chile Chilean Air Force Boeing 767-300
FAC985		 chile-767
Senga Butts[File Photo]
China Air China Boeing 747-400
???		 Air China Boeing 747-400
Senga Butts [File Photo]
Congo GainJet McDonnell-Douglas MD-83
SX-IFA		 GainJet McDonnell-Douglas MD-83
Senga Butts
Croatia Croatian Government Canadair CL-600 Challenger
9A-CRO		 Croatian Government Canadair CL-600 Challenger
Senga Butts
Czech Republic Czech Air Force Airbus A319
2801		 Czech Air Force Airbus A319
John Musolino
Equatorial Guinea Equatorial Guinea Government Boeing BBJ (737-700)
3C-EGE		 guinea-bbj
Senga Butts
Equatorial Guinea Equatorial Guinea Government Dassault Falcon 900B
3C-ONM 		Dassault Falcon 900B
Ethiopia Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 767-300
ET-ALD		 Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 767-300
Senga Butts
France French Government Airbus A310
F-RADA		 French Government Airbus A310
Senga Butts
France French Government Airbus A319
F-RBFA		 French Government Airbus A319
Senga Butts
France French Government Dassault Falcon 7X
F-RAFA		 France01
Senga Butts [File Photo]
Gambia Gambian Government Boeing 727-100
C5-GAF		 Gambian Government Boeing 727-100
Senga Butts
Iran IranAir Boeing 747SP
EP-IAD		 IranAir Boeing 747SP
Senga Butts [File Photo]
Italy Italian Air Force Airbus A319
MM62209		 Italian Air Force Airbus A319
Senga Butts
Ivory Coast GainJet Boeing 757-200
SX-RFA		 ivory-coast
Senga Butts
Japan Japan Air Self-Defense Force Boeing 747-400
20-1101		 Japan Air Self-Defense Force 747-400 (20-1101) (Photo by John Musolino)
John Musolino
Japan Japan Air Self-Defense Force Boeing 747-400
20-1102		 Japan Air Self-Defense Force 747-400
Senga Butts [File Photo]
Jordan Comlux Airbus A318
VQ-BDD		 jordan-a318
Senga Butts
Kuwait Kuwaiti Government Gulfstream V
9K-AJE		 Kuwait02
Senga Butts
Kuwait Kuwaiti Government Airbus A310
9K-ALD		 Kuwait01
Senga Butts
Lebanon Middle East Airlines Airbus A330-200
F-OMEB		 lebanon-mea
Senga Butts
Libya Afriqiyah Airways Airbus A300
5A-IAY		 Libya02
Senga Butts
Libya Afriqiyah Airways Airbus A340-200
5A-ONE		 Afriqiyah Airways Airbus A340-200
Eric Dunetz
Mexico Mexican Air Force Boeing 757-200
TP-01		 mexico-757
Senga Butts
Monaco Monaco Government Dassault Falcon 900EX
3A-MGA		 monaco-3amga
Senga Butts
Oman HiFly Airbus A310
CS-TEX		 HiFly Airbus A310
Senga Butts
Poland Polish Air Force Tupolev Tu-154
102		 Polish Air Force Tupolev Tu-154
Gordon Gebert Jr.
Qatar Qatar Amiri Flight Airbus A330-200
A7-HHM		 Qatar Amiri Flight Airbus A330
John Musolino [File Photo]
Qatar Qatar Amiri Flight Airbus A310
A7-AFE		 Qatar Amiri Flight Airbus A310
Tom Turner
Qatar Qatar Amiri Flight Airbus A340-500
A7-HHH		 Qatar Amiri Flight Airbus A340-500
Senga Butts
Qatar Qatar Amiri Flight Airbus A330-200
A7-HJJ		 Qatar Amiri Flight Airbus A330-200
Senga Butts [File Photo]
Russia Rossiya Ilyushin IL-62
RA-86540		 Rossiya Ilyushin IL-62
Senga Butts
Russia Rossiya Ilyushin IL-76
RA-78818		 Rossiya Ilyushin IL-76
Senga Butts
Russia Rossiya Ilyushin IL-96
RA-96018		 Rossiya Ilyushin IL-96
Senga Butts [File Photo]
Russia Rossiya Ilyushin IL-96
RA-9601?		 Rossiya Ilyushin IL-96
Eric Dunetz
Saudi Arabia Saudi Aramco Boeing 767-200
N767A		 Saudi Aramco Boeing 767-200
Senga Butts [File Photo]
Saudi Arabia Mid East Jet Boeing 767-200
N767KS		 Mid East Jet Boeing 767-200
Senga Butts
Senegal RoyalJet Boeing BBJ (737-700)
A6-AIN		 Senegal
Senga Butts
South Africa South African Air Force Boeing BBJ (737-700)
ZS-RSA		 South African Air Force Boeing BBJ
Eric Dunetz
South Korea Asiana Airlines Boeing 747-400
HL-7428		 Asiana Airlines Boeing 747-400
Senga Butts
Spain Spanish Air Force Airbus A310
4550		 Spanish Air Force Airbus A310
Spain Spanish Air Force Airbus A310
4551		 Spanish Air Force Airbus A310
Sweden Swedish Air Force Gulfstream V
24		 Swedish Air Force Gulfstream V
Senga Butts
Turkey Turkish Government Airbus A319
TC-ANA		 Turkish Government Airbus A319
Senga Butts [File Photo]
Turkmenistan Turkmenistan Airlines Boeing 767-300
EZ-A700		 Turkmenistan 767 EZ-A700
Senga Butts
Uganda Ugandan Government Gulfstream IV
5X-UGF		 Ugandan Government Gulfstream IV
John Musolino
Ukraine Ukrainian Government Ilyushin IL-68
UR-86528		 Ukrainian Government Ilyushin IL-68
Phil Derner Jr.
United Arab Emirates Abu Dhabi Amiri Flight Boeing BBJ (737-700)
A6-DFR		 Abu Dhabi Amiri Flight Boeing BBJ
Matt Molnar
United Kingdom Virgin Atlantic Boeing 747-400
G-VFAB		 Virgin Atlantic Boeing 747-400
Luke Wasiak [File Photo]
United States United States Air Force Boeing C-17 Globemaster III
33125		 c17-3125
Matt Molnar
United States United States Air Force Boeing C-17 Globemaster III
33126		 USAF C-17 Globemaster III
John Musolino
United States United States Air Force Boeing VC-25
29000		 United States Air Force VC-25
Phil Derner Jr.
United States United States Air Force Lockheed C-5 Galaxy
70045		 USAF C5
John Klos
Venezuela Venezuelan Government Dassault Falcon 50
YV1495		 Venezuela02
Senga Butts
Venezuela Conviasa Bombardier CRJ-700
YV1111		 Venezuela01
Senga Butts
Vietnam Vietnam Airlines Boeing 777-200
VN-A149		 vietnam-777
Senga Butts
Zimbabwe Air Zimbabwe Boeing 767-200
Z-WPF		 dunetz-zimbabwe-767-092509
Eric Dunetz