Airforce changes VIP jet order
Date: 24 April 2011
By Dean Wingrin
Although it was announced at the beginning of this month that the South African Air Force is to lease two Embraer Linaege 1000 jets for Government VIP transport, it appears that the lease has been given to another bidder. This time, the aircraft involved is another Boeing Business Jet similar to the current Presidential jet (“South Africa One”) and a slightly smaller Global Express XRS.
Unlike the five year, US$120 million lease for the two Embraer aircraft which was signed with AdoAir; a small aviation company owned by Nigerian businessman Adegboyega Olulade, this lease has been concluded with a large and respected South African company. As such, the lease is in Rands and not US Dollars which is subject to exchange rate fluctuations.
Earlier this month, press reports quoted Chief of the Air Force, Lieutenant General Carlo Gagiano, as saying that it took "a lot of tender loving care" to maintain the current VIP transport fleet operated by 21 Squadron and that was most were more than 30 years old. Finding new aircraft for VIPs, he said, had become "a necessity".
"We only have two aircraft in our fleet that are younger than 20 years old. That is the president's aircraft at the moment and the PC12 single turbo prop aircraft," he explained.
Explaining the lease of the initial two aircraft, Defence Minister Lindiwe Sisulu added, "Quite clearly we reached a point where it became not economically viable to continue with the ongoing expensive lease operations that would ensure an increase in those costs without sustaining what is really a viable service that needs to be provided."
The current 18-seat Boeing BBJ was delivered in January 2003 and is used by the President Jacob Zuma for overseas trips. The new BBJ will presumably be used to support the Presidential jet when the first BBJ is undergoing maintenance, rather than making use of alternative aircraft rented at high cost.
The Global Express XRS is an ultra long range VIP high speed jet aircraft produced by Bombardier Aerospace of Canada.
Delivery of the BBJ and Global Express XRS is expected by 1st July 2011.
