French Presidential Airbus A330-243 F-UJCU flies from Paris to Istres in 4h 42m

Emmanuel Macron / French Presidential Flight's Airbus A330-243, tail number F-UJCU, flew from Paris-Le Bourget International Airport (LFPB) to Istres-Le Tubé Air Base (LFMI) in Istres, Bouches-du-Rhône, France, on Friday, October 23, 2026. The aircraft departed at 18:29 UTC and landed at 23:11 UTC. The flight took 4 hours and 42 minutes.

The great-circle distance between the two airports is 1,971 nautical miles, or 2,268 miles. The aircraft reached a top speed of 536 knots and a maximum altitude of 40,050 feet. Our estimate for fuel burned is about 2,352 US gallons, producing about 22,591 kg of CO2, about the same as driving a car 55,918 miles. The Airbus A330-243 is a long-haul wide-body jet with a range of about 6,700 nautical miles and typical seating for 253 passengers. It is one of two A330s in the presidential fleet, the other being F-RARF.

This was the third landing at Istres-Le Tubé Air Base by any of Emmanuel Macron / French Presidential Flight's aircraft in the tracked window from October 5 to October 21, 2026. The previous landing there was on October 16, also by F-UJCU, after a short hop from Marignane. 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 33 airports in 11 countries and flew about 27,396 nautical miles. The longest leg in that period was a 4,598-nautical-mile flight from Vancouver to Le Mazet De Romanin Airfield by F-UJCU on October 15.

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. Istres is a commune in the Bouches-du-Rhône department in southern France, and the air base serves as a military and logistics hub. No public events tied to Emmanuel Macron or the French government were announced in Istres on this date.

The flight from Paris to Istres covered 1,971 nautical miles, which is about 29 percent of the aircraft's range. The aircraft spent about 2 days on the ground at Marignane before this flight, following a previous landing there on October 21. The departure airport, Paris-Le Bourget, has a longest runway of 9,843 feet and an elevation of 218 feet. The arrival airport, Istres-Le Tubé Air Base, has a longest runway of 12,303 feet and an elevation of 82 feet. The distance from the home base at Paris-Le Bourget to Istres is 342 nautical miles.

In the tracked window from October 5 to October 21, the owner's four aircraft made 34 flights. The most common destinations were Fauville, Eure, with 4 landings; Le Mazet De Romanin Airfield, with 3 landings; and Paris-Orly, with 3 landings. This flight to Istres adds to a busy month for the presidential fleet.