UNGA 2023

[David Perston]

Hi There

Im an expat Scot living in Ontario, Canada and an avid aviation enthusiast/spotter.

I and three other expats plan to come down to NYC for UNGA 2023.

As i've never been before would love to get any tips and tricks for maximising what we see over the time we are in NYC.

I know the opening of the debate is Monday September 18th and from reading previous forum posts it sounds like some of the traffic starts to depart on the Tuesday and that while some of the larger stuff goes into JFK and EWR it then positions to SWF.

But where does the smaller biz jets go and does much use TEB?

David

[jbluflyermatt]

Hi There

Im an expat Scot living in Ontario, Canada and an avid aviation enthusiast/spotter.

I and three other expats plan to come down to NYC for UNGA 2023.

As i've never been before would love to get any tips and tricks for maximising what we see over the time we are in NYC.

I know the opening of the debate is Monday September 18th and from reading previous forum posts it sounds like some of the traffic starts to depart on the Tuesday and that while some of the larger stuff goes into JFK and EWR it then positions to SWF.

But where does the smaller biz jets go and does much use TEB?

David

Hi David! Awesome to hear that you’re planning to visit the NY area for UNGA.

I would suggest visiting the airport(s) the weekend before the start of the general debate as that is when most leaders arrive.

The majority of the business jets do indeed go to Teterboro. Some go to Newark, JFK and White Plains (the Newark and JFK drop offs will then reposition elsewhere, so they sometimes end up in Teterboro anyway).

Hopefully that answers your question. If you have any additional ones, don’t hesitate to ask.

[jbluflyermatt]

I was actually planning to get the UNGA 2023 thread going this evening, but I jumped onto the site only to find that it was thankfully already created (I know, it’s way too early for me to start it, but waiting here at Dulles for the Korean government’s 747-8 to depart just made me super eager to get this going again).

I’ll be in Cleveland during the conference for college again this year, but I’ll be constantly monitoring traffic and updating here on the forum. Really looking forward to this year! I’m optimistic for a good one this time.

[David Perston]

Thanks Matt.

We plan to arrive on Saturday the 16th early doors so hopefully can catch the interesting movements.

David

[airboss3]

Biden will be hosting US + Central Asia Summit in the C5+1 format, in NY, on 9/19 or 9/20.
The C5 includes: Republic of Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, the Republic of Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and the Republic of Uzbekistan.
Some interesting aircraft to keep an eye out for.

[jbluflyermatt]

That’s awesome, thanks for the update! I’ve been scouring the internet this morning for some more info on attendance. So far, it seems like the Cambodian, Greek, Iranian, Israeli, Nepali, Nigerian, Pakistani, Turkish, and Ukrainian delegations are confirmed to be attending, in addition to what was listed above. Surprisingly, UK’s PM Sunak will not be joining this year.

There have been a couple new aircraft deliveries since last year, many of which I expect to make an appearance. Argentina recently got a hold of their “new” 757-200 (ARG-01); DRC now has their own 737-900BBJ (T7-RDC); Mauritania also now has their own BBJ, albeit a 700 (5H-ONE); and Tajikistan just received their 787 from the Mexican government (EY-001). A few more noteworthy deliveries, although I doubt they will come, include Brazil’s A330 MRTTs, the Netherlands’ G650 (V-11), and the Pakistani Air Force’s A319 (A-1102) and Global 6000 (J-758).

Unfortunately, Burkina Faso’s 727 seems to be indefinitely grounded, and Egypt’s 747-8 is still being outfitted in Germany.

The Brazilians usually stop by with the Legacies and/or Lineages the first two weeks of September, so I’ll be sure to keep an eye on radar for that in the coming days.

Keep an eye out for more updates soon.

[Heavymetlspotter]

Yesss, already excited!! You always do a great job in scouting info on the net for possible visitors to UNGA. I do hope we have a good one this year. Looking forward to it!

[springbok]

A few weeks ago the guys at Airline Videos, who do regular live streaming at LAX said that they would be at JFK for a few days during the UNGA and will be doing daily live streaming to cover the UNGA arrivals

[jbluflyermatt]

Hi everyone! Hope my fellow Americans had a nice long weekend.

This morning I came across this article with a speakers list. I don’t know how credible this is, but hopefully it’ll give us a good idea of what to expect. The UN has not yet released the official list, but I’ll be sure to include that link as well as soon as it is released.

[jbluflyermatt]

**All times reported in local time, which is four hours behind UTC/Zulu**

Saturday, 9/9
2345L: It looks like we are having our first arrival of the season tonight. Morocco's 737-800 BBJ, CN-MVI, is inbound for JFK and should be on the ground in about an hour, callsign is FRV0303. They're scheduled out at 0300L heading right back to Rabat.

Monday, 9/11 - Never Forget
1350L: A7-HHM, a Qatar Amiri Flight 330-200, landed into JFK just under an hour ago as QAF3 from Charles de Gaulle. If they aren't returning overseas, they'll probably go to either Dulles or Stewart (it's a toss-up with the Qataris).

1740L: Stewart it is. They bounced up there around 1500L.

Tuesday, 9/12
Just a quick note: with the G77 plus China summit in Havana scheduled late this week, it's likely that many leaders will be arriving from Havana this coming weekend rather than their countries of origin. From my understanding, over 100 world leaders will be addressing the G77, so we should expect a decent amount of traffic up the Atlantic over the weekend.

Another note: Vietnam is scheduled in at 2335L on Tuesday the 19th. Coming from Andrews under HVN1 on a 787.

2030L: It's a Qatari invasion. Qatar Amiri's other A330-200, A7-HJJ, is inbound to JFK tomorrow morning as QAF5 nonstop from Doha. I'm estimating a 0630L arrival.

Wednesday, 9/13
0645L: Good morning! Qatar is on the descent and should be on the ground in under half an hour (sorry, I underestimated how quickly I thought they would get here). Anyhow, here comes Brazil as well. One of their VC-2 E190s, 2591, is en route from San Juan to JFK with an ETA of 0945L, calling as BRS04. They’re scheduled to repo to Islip, per usual, at 1030L.

1145L: Brazil just repositioned to Islip. Qatar HHM repositioned to Stewart around 0900L. I’m keeping an eye on Jordan’s G650 which is crossing the UK and headed towards the Atlantic.

1555L: Brazil's 190 is scheduled out of Islip at 1150L tomorrow for Havana (BRS4 again). Kuwait's A319, 9K-GEA, is enroute from Stansted to Stewart as KUG43. ETA is 1945L.

1830L: Jordan stopped in Moncton, probably for fuel. News reports are suggesting that Jordan's king is headed to the US today, so this one's likely coming for New York. Sierra Leone arrived yesterday on VistaJet into Teterboro (9H-VJF if anyone is curious).

2125L: Can't catch a break from these guys. Another Qatar Amiri, this time the 340-300 (A7-AAH), seems to be on the CAMRN4 into JFK just north of Atlantic City.

Thursday, 9/14
0900L: Qatar's 343 did indeed go to JFK last night, then repositioned up to Stewart. One of Colombia's 737-700s, FAC1222, is scheduled into Stewart around 1100L from Dayton. This isn't the head of state aircraft (that one should be coming this weekend). Forgot to mention that Jordan departed Moncton shortly after yesterday's 1830L message and went to... Bangor? Not sure if that was a planned stop or not, but they've been in Bangor since last night. Please see below a list of aircraft currently in Havana or en route to Havana for the G77 (this may not be everything, these are only the ones I could track down):

7T-VPS (Algeria)
2-DEER (Angola)
D2-ANG (Angola)
4K-ASG (Azerbaijan?)
FAB-001 (Bolivia)
2591 (Brazil)
B-6130 (China)
A6-RJV (Comoros)
ET-ATG (Ethiopia)
TR-KSP (Gabon)
9G-EXE (Ghana)
9K-GEA (Kuwait)
5N-FGS (Nigeria)
A4O-AD (Oman)
T7-PAL (Palestine)
9H-DCGB (Rwanda)
HZ-SKY1 (Saudi Arabia)
9H-MZKM (Zimbabwe?)

I expect many of these will come to NYC either late tomorrow or sometime over the weekend.

1220L: Brazil just left Islip, going to Havana. Qatar 5 (HJJ) just left Stewart and seems to be headed back to Kennedy. Jordan departed Bangor a short while ago and is leveled off at FL220 heading southwest.

1510L: Kuwait's 319 just departed Stewart to the northwest. Qatar is departing JFK now to who knows where. A7-CGH, a Qatar Executive G650, is currently en route from Havana to JFK as QQE743. They'll reposition to Stewart after dropping off. I'll try to do some do digging to see who's on it.

1920L: Kuwait went to Havana, and Qatar went to Nashville. Qatar G650 is landing in Stewart now. Jordan ended up in Boston today. They just left and are headed back to the Atlantic. Please note that I am actively updating the list of who's in or en route to Havana, so please continue to monitor that list if you're interested in what's happening down there.

2200L: Nigeria is on the way. 5N-FGU, a Falcon 7X of theirs, departed Funchal about an hour ago and is estimated into JFK at 0340L. I assume they will reposition to Dover, as they have done in past years. This aircraft isn't flying under the head of state callsign, NGR001, so hopefully the 737 is still coming sometime over the next couple days.

Friday, 9/15
1050L: This is the last day I will be using this thread to post updates. I will start a new thread tomorrow as I expect the weekend to be extremely busy. UAE (Abu Dhabi) snuck in this morning. A6-ALN was doing the honors, having arrived at JFK around 0840L and departed about 20 minutes ago, operating as AUH03. Nigeria did indeed go to Dover last night. See below the official speakers list released by the UN.

1215L: Dang, I've been slacking today. Turkey stopped by with an A400. 17-0080 just departed JFK headed south (probably to Dover) as TUAF131. I assume this thing carried Erdogan's motorcade.

1500L: Qatar 5 is on the way back, currently headed up the Jersey shore and should be landing in 15-20.

1740L: Qatar out and off to Stewart... for the second time. Rwanda is scheduled into Teterboro at 1750L tomorrow from Havana (DCW101), and the Thai delegation will be arriving at an ungodly 0220L on Tuesday the 19th. TG8832, looks like a Thai Airways 787. Ivory Coast is bringing the G5, it seems. IVY2 into EWR tomorrow, scheduled arrival 1620L.

2025L: Olá, Angola! Their Global Express, D2-ANG, is just landing into Teterboro now. Head of state is on 2-DEER, so I expect that to come this weekend as well.

2320L: Kuwait's 319 is back in town, currently on the approach into Stewart. Kuwait's 737-900 is scheduled into Stewart tomorrow at 1620L from Stansted, KUG046. One of Slovakia's 319s (SSG001) and Kuwait's 340-500 (KUG003) are scheduled into JFK at 1450L and 1545L, respectively. Reminder to head to page 2 for tomorrow's new thread. Good night!

[Zee71]

Wednesday, 9/13

Bahrain Royal Flight BAH3, reg A9C-HMH (B764) went to IAD this morning around 0530

[eric8669]

C17 also popped in and out today

[MarioFL]

Are the spots outside around JFK still ok safety wise? And parking decks at JFK, Air Train etc at JFK working normally?

Will the UN be publishing a list of countries and their attendees? (prime minister or another representative)?

[Zee71]

The spotting locations outside the airport are okay in my opinion. As far as the parking decks/garages go you may be disappointed. We lost one spotting area at Terminal 1 due to construction, it got torn down. The other spot at Terminal 5 may have some views blocked due to construction. I never spotted from the Air Train and would probably not recommend it. Happy hunting!

[jbluflyermatt]

Are the spots outside around JFK still ok safety wise? And parking decks at JFK, Air Train etc at JFK working normally?

As Zee71 suggested, don't spot from the AirTrain. Every time I've tried the security personnel on the train quickly came to me and told me to shut my camera off.

Will the UN be publishing a list of countries and their attendees? (prime minister or another representative)?

The website does exist. The question of whether it's ready yet or not is a different story. Hopefully they'll have it ready by the weekend.