Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan's aircraft returns to Abu Dhabi after a week of state diplomacy in Germany and condolences in Dubai

Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan's aircraft, a Boeing 777-200ER bearing tail number A6-ALN, was tracked departing from a location off the coast of Maine on September 23 and arriving at Zayed International Airport in Abu Dhabi early on September 24, after an 11-hour, 25-minute flight across the Atlantic. The flight path, which originated near the northeastern United States, suggests a routing that could have originated from the New York area, where the aircraft had been recorded in recent days. As always, celebplanes tracks the movement of the aircraft, not the person; the registered owner's presence aboard is a matter of inference, not confirmation.

If Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan was aboard, the timing of this return flight would place him back in the UAE just a day after he led condolences in Dubai following the funeral of Sheikh Ahmed bin Rashid, as reported by The National on September 23. The same source noted that Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan gathered with the Rulers and Crown Princes of the Emirates at Zabeel Grand Mosque to offer condolences to Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai. The aircraft's arrival in Abu Dhabi early on September 24 would allow the President to resume official duties in the UAE after a period of significant state and ceremonial engagements.

The flight follows a well-documented week of high-level diplomacy. According to the Emirates News Agency (WAM) and The National, Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan arrived in Berlin on September 9 for a state visit to Germany, the first-ever by a UAE President. The visit included meetings with German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and Chancellor Friedrich Merz, with a focus on deepening economic and development cooperation, particularly in artificial intelligence, energy, and investment sectors [wam.ae](https://www.wam.ae/en/article/c25rxm3-uae-president-arrives-germany-state-visit). The aircraft's tracked movements from Berlin to Munich on September 11, and then to Greece and Turkey in the following days, align with the itinerary of a leader concluding a state visit before returning home.