Umm Al Quwain.
The small Emirate famous with expats namely for booze runs to Barracuda– one of the cheapest places to buy alcohol in the UAE. Situated right next to Dreamland waterpark it also makes for a pleasant day out.
However, one of the most interesting sights is right by the E11, just before you reach Barracuda from Dubai. Here stands an abandoned aircraft on a small abandoned airfield. If like me you have an active imagination, it’s the perfect horror film setting. I haven’t been at night, but I can imagine the eerie atmosphere…
So what’s the story behind this plane?
Originally it was an old Soviet plane. Russian lettering can still be found on the aircraft itself. It was later linked to an infamous Russian arms dealer Victor Bout who is currently serving time in a US jail. The film Lord of War is based on his activities.
According to various online sources he apparently had connections with the neighboring Emirate of Sharjah, read more here and somehow the aircraft landed in this small airfield in the bordering Emirate of Umm Al-Quwain.
Why? Well, its not exactly clear. Some say it ran out of fuel and had to make an emergency landing where the pilot/s were then arrested in connection with various crimes. Other reports state that it was left as a kind of memento, an artifact of the Soviet aircraft.
Today it stands as a weathered advert for the Palm Beach Hotel. Behind a wire fence stand more abandoned planes which aren’t accessible to the public. I’m not sure what their stories are…
‘Where is Umm Al-Quwain’ BBC article
Telegraph article about notorious arms dealer Victor Bout and film Lord of War
Abandoned plane article by The National
Do you have any extra information about the abandoned aircraft at Umm Al-Quwain?
Do you know of any other interesting places in the UAE with stories to tell?
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