What was New England’s ‘AirKraft’ doing at a Beaufort Marine base? Transporting patriots
Just days after the New England Patriots’ Sunday loss in Super Bowl LX, one of the team’s private passenger planes landed in none other than Beaufort, South Carolina.
The world famous-team’s two Boeing 767s, used to fly the players across the country, are famous in their own right. Called “AirKraft” after Patriots’ owner Robert Kraft, the airliners sport the team’s colors — red, white and blue. Six Lombardi Super Bowl trophies are stacked on the tail wings. A huge “Patriots” logo is plastered on their sides.
Each seat has a first-class configuration, allowing proper room for big NFL players.
The question is, why was the Patriots’ sick ride in the Lowcountry two days after the team’s 29-13 loss to the Seattle Seahawks?
The Marines said it had no approved photographs of the aircraft’s visit to Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort, which is part of the 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing in Cherry Point, N.C., on Tuesday, but confirmed the plane did land at the local air base.
The purpose of the stop was to transport a different kind of patriot — U.S. Marines and sailors — to northern Norway. That’s where U.S. troops are participating in an Arctic training mission called Exercise Cold Response 26, bringing together 25,000 personnel from a dozen NATO allies, according to the 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing.
Omni Air International, which operates the Patriots’ two Boeing 767-300 passenger aircraft, sometimes uses the Patriots-branded aircraft to fulfill military contracts. That’s why one of the Patriots private planes was in town. The movement of II Marine Expeditionary Force Marines and sailors to Norway involves a combination of military and commercially chartered aircraft, the 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing said.
The six-time Super Bowl champion team was the first in the NFL to purchase specially configured aircraft for travel in 2017. The team owns two of the planes, with one serving as a backup.
