Romanian businessman and former tennis player Ion Tiriac (in picture) and a bank have donated two turbojet aircrafts to the General Inspectorate of Aviation, for emergency humanitarian missions.

The donations come after a lengthy mission to save seven survivors of a plane crash involving an old aircraft.

The old plane that crashed in the mountains had been used to carry team of doctors for transplant missions across Romania.

“Today, somebody decided to do an honorable thing and donate a turbojet aircraft which will be donated to the General Inspectorate of Aviation...this gesture will save many lives in the future,” Deputy Prime-Minister Liviu Dragnea told State Secretary in the Ministry of Health Raed Arafat during the winter commandment organized at the Government.

At the end of the meeting, Dragnea also told journalists that there are actually two aircrafts being donated to the state.

One was donated by an individual, namely businessman Ion Tiriac, while the second one was given by a bank, with no connection between Tiriac and the bank, reports local news agency Mediafax.

Ion Tiriac is also a shareholder in UniCredit Tiriac bank in Romania.

Tiriac, a former tennis player, is one of Romania’s richest entrepreneurs. He controls the car importers for Jaguar, Land Rover, Range Rover, Hyundai, and also sells Ford and Mercedes Benz through its Tiriac Auto centers in Romania. His holding runs real estate, insurance and car dealership businesses.

In 2013, Tiriac was elected into the International Tennis Hall of Fame

Irina Popescu, irina.popescu@romania-insider.com