The body of the former First Minister of Scotland, Alex Salmond, will be flown back to Scotland on Friday, the Alba Party has confirmed.
Flight details
The flight is due to take off at about 11am on Friday from Ohrid St Paul the Apostle Airport and is scheduled to land at Aberdeen Airport at about 1.45pm on Friday.
The carrier is Airline AIR X. The aircraft is an Embraer Legacy 600. The Aircraft registration is 9H-JPC. The Flight number: AXY4769.
Who paid for the flight?
Scotland's first self-made billionaire Sir Tom Hunter was today revealed as the mystery donor who paid for a chartered flight to repatriate Mr Salmond's body from North Macedonia.
Sir Tom told The Times today he had paid for the flight: "Whilst he and I disagreed on some of his ambitions, Alex Salmond devoted his life to Scotland and the Scottish people and as such he, and importantly his family, deserved the dignity and privacy of a private return to the home of his birth. Our deepest sympathy and thoughts are with his family at this time.”
Who will meet the coffin?
Mr Salmond's family, along with Alba Party acting leader Kenny MacAskill, will be at the airport to receive the coffin, which will then be taken by hearse to the village of Strichen in Aberdeenshire where Mr Salmond lived with his wife Moira.
A private family funeral is expected to be held in Strichen later this month with a public memorial service to take place in Edinburgh later.
Will the planes arrival and the coffin coming off the plane be televised?
Yes. The Alba Party have said STV will provide pooled broadcast material from airside. Photographs will also be provided on a pooled basis from the Press Association.
Where did the former First Minister die?
Mr Salmond died suddenly aged 69 after suffering a heart attack in the city of Ohrid on Saturday, where he was attending a conference organised by the Academy of Cultural Diplomacy.
He was First Minister from 2007 to 2014 when he stepped down after the indepedence referendum which resulted in a 55% to 45% result for Scotland to remain in the UK. He led the Alba Party from 2021 when it was set up to his death on Saturday.
Call for RAF to step in
Conservative MP and friend of the former SNP leader, Sir David Davis, had pushed for the RAF to be used to bring his body back.
However, it is understood under UK protocol the RAF is only used to repatriate the bodies of members of the Royal Family.
In a statement on Wednesday, Mr MacAskill, said: "The family are incredibly grateful for the support which is being provided by a private citizen to charter a private plane to allow Alex's body to come home to Scotland.
"It brings a great deal of comfort to Moira and other members of the family to know that he will soon be home with them.
"The family have asked that their privacy be respected at this time and will be making an announcement in due course about the funeral arrangements and a memorial service to honour the life of Alex Salmond."
Mr MacAskill also expressed the Salmond family's appreciation to the North Macedonian Government, for "expediting" the process of releasing Mr Salmond's body and the Scottish and UK Governments for their work in securing his repatriation.
What is the Scottish Government doing?
A spokesperson for the Scottish Government said it is prepared to offer further help if necessary.
"Over the last few days, the Scottish Government and UK Government have been engaging with Alex Salmond's family and working closely together in accordance with their wishes, to ensure the swift and dignified repatriation of the former first minister to Scotland," a statement said.
"Having explored a number of options, the family have now made arrangements for this to take place with the support of a private citizen.
"The Scottish Government continues to engage with Mr Salmond's family, and we stand ready to offer further advice and support, should it be required."
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