Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum's 747 lands in Buenos Aires as Argentine racing season opens

Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum's Boeing 747-433M Combi, tail A6-COM, was tracked departing London Stansted on the evening of 16 September and arriving at Ezeiza International Airport in Buenos Aires the following morning after a 13-hour flight. The aircraft, operated by the Dubai Royal Air Wing, is configured as a combi — capable of carrying both passengers and cargo, including racehorses — and has been observed on previous equestrian-related movements to Newmarket, Miami, and Melbourne.

If Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum was aboard, the timing places him in Argentina at the start of the country's spring racing calendar. Palermo racecourse, Buenos Aires' premier thoroughbred venue, typically opens its Group 1 season in mid-September with classics such as the Gran Premio Polla de Potrillos. Godolphin, the Sheikh's global racing stable, has a history of sending runners to Argentine graded stakes, and the combi's cargo capacity suggests the flight may have transported horses for the meeting.

The trip follows a busy week in the UAE. Earlier in September, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum visited the Arabian Travel Market in Dubai, where he reviewed smart-mobility and sustainability initiatives, per the Government of Dubai Media Office as reported by Daily Guardian UAE. He was also in London on 16 September, having flown from Dubai to Stansted the previous day, consistent with a pattern of shuttling between his home base, European equestrian hubs, and South American racing destinations.