French Presidential Airbus A330-243 F-UJCU returns from Athens to Marseille

Emmanuel Macron / French Presidential Flight's Airbus A330-243, tail number F-UJCU, flew from Athens Eleftherios Venizelos International Airport (LGAV) to Marseille Provence Airport (LFML) on Wednesday, October 21, 2026. The aircraft departed at 12:46 UTC and landed at 15:00 UTC. The flight took 2 hours and 14 minutes. The arrival airport is in Marignane, Bouches-du-Rhône, France.

The great-circle distance between the two airports is 910 nautical miles, or 1,048 miles. The aircraft reached a top speed of 471 knots and a maximum altitude of 40,025 feet. Our estimate for fuel burned is about 1,117 US gallons, producing about 10.7 metric tons of CO2. That is about the same as driving a car 26,562 miles. The Airbus A330-243 is a long-haul wide-body jet with a range of about 6,700 nautical miles and a typical seating for 253 passengers. It is one of two A330s in the presidential fleet, the other being F-RARF.

This was the second landing at Marseille Provence Airport by any of Emmanuel Macron / French Presidential Flight's aircraft in the tracked window from October 5 to October 20, 2026. The previous landing there was on October 16, also by F-UJCU, after a short hop from Istres. The home base for the fleet is Paris-Le Bourget International Airport (LFPB). Usual destinations on file include London Heathrow, Munich, Madrid, Rome, Moscow, and Beijing. In the 30 days before this flight, the owner's aircraft visited 32 airports in 10 countries and flew about 31,086 nautical miles. The longest leg in that period was a 4,600-nautical-mile flight from Istres to Vancouver by F-UJCU on October 5.

President Emmanuel Macron has led France since 2017, making him Europe's most prominent head of state. His VIP air fleet is operated by ETEC from Paris Le Bourget, flying under the CTM001 callsign. The fleet includes two Airbus A330-223s and several Dassault Falcon jets. Macron has faced domestic criticism over flying privately to meetings on sustainability. Marseille is a major city in southern France, and the arrival airport serves the Provence region. No public events tied to Emmanuel Macron or the French government were announced in Marseille on this date.

The flight from Athens to Marseille covered 910 nautical miles, which is about 14 percent of the aircraft's range. The aircraft spent about 5 days on the ground at Marseille before this flight, following a previous landing there on October 16. The departure airport, Athens Eleftherios Venizelos, has a longest runway of 13,123 feet and an elevation of 308 feet. The arrival airport, Marseille Provence, has a longest runway of 11,483 feet and an elevation of 74 feet. The distance from the home base at Paris-Le Bourget to Marseille is 351 nautical miles.

In the tracked window from October 5 to October 20, the owner's four aircraft made 34 flights. The most common destinations were Fauville, Eure, with 4 landings; Vancouver, with 3 landings; and Le Mazet De Romanin Airfield, with 3 landings. On October 20, the Dassault Falcon 7X F-RAFA flew from Doha to Doha in 3 hours 22 minutes, covering 42 nautical miles. The same day, F-RARF flew from Abu Dhabi to Zallaq in 1 hour 7 minutes. This flight to Marseille adds to a busy month for the presidential fleet.