The Portuguese Air Force will fly over some regions of mainland Portugal on Sunday to wish people a merry Christmas “from the skies”, using a pair of F-16Ms and AW119 Koala and EH-101 Merlin helicopters.
In a statement, the Air Force indicated that this action will be carried out with “a training flight to maintain the capabilities of its military personnel in order to reinforce the commitment to safeguarding the integrity of the entire national territory, by carrying out surveillance, policing and air defense missions”.
The Air Force’s wishes for a merry Christmas, “from the skies”, will pass through some areas from the north to the south of mainland Portugal during the day on Sunday.
The pair of F-16M aircraft is scheduled to fly over the municipalities and towns of Nazaré (11:02), Peniche (11:06), Caldas da Rainha (11:08), Rio Maior (11:10), Santarém (11:13), Entroncamento (11:16), Tomar (11:17), Abrantes (11:20), Castelo Branco (11:26), Covilhã (11:31), Guarda (11:34), Vila Nova de Foz Coa (11:39), Miranda do Douro (11:46), Macedo de Cavaleiros (11:51), Mirandela (11:53), Lamego (11:59), Castro Daire (12:01), Águeda (12:06), Cantanhede (12:08), Figueira da Foz (12:11), Leiria (12:15) and Monte Real (12:16).
According to the Air Force, the AW119 Koala helicopter will cover the south of the country in the morning and the north in the afternoon.
In the south, the flight will begin at Beja airport (10:30), continuing on to Ferreira do Alentejo (10:35), Santiago do Cacém (10:50), Sines (10:55), Odemira (11:07), Monchique (11:21), Portimão (11:26), Albufeira (11:33), Faro (11:41), Tavira (11:49), Vira Real de Santo António (11:54), Mértola (12:09), Serpa (12:19) and Beja (12:26), returning to where it took off (12:30).
In the north, the AW119 Koala helicopter will depart at 15:00 from Air Base N.° 8 (BA8), located in Maceda, Ovar, Aveiro district, with a route that passes through Vila Nova de Gaia (15:15), Porto (15:20), Guimarães (15:45), Braga (16:00), Ponte de Lima (16:10), Viana do Castelo (16:25), Vila do Conde (16:35) and Foz do Porto (16:45), returning to BA8 (17:00), according to the Air Force.
The EH-101 Merlin helicopter will fly over Setúbal (11:00), Cascais (11:27), Ericeira (11:34) Torres Vedras (11:40), Vila Franca de Xira (11:47) and Santa Iria de Azoia (11:51), also to “wish everyone a merry Christmas”.
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