PRESIDENT BUHARI SET TO REDUCE THE NUMBER OF AIRCRAFT IN PRESIDENTIAL AIR FLEET

The Presidency has concluded the process for the sale of two
presidential aircraft, a Falcon 7x executive jet and Hawker
4000.
In a statement on October 4, the Presidency had confirmed
that President Muhammadu Buhari had authorised the sale of
the two jets.
Advertisements were then placed in newspapers for
interested buyers to bid for the aircraft.
The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and
Publicity, Garba Shehu, had in the October 4 statement said
the decision to sell the jets was in line with the directive of
the President that aircraft in the Presidential Air Fleet be
reduced to cut down on waste.
Two aircraft in the fleet had also been handed over to the
Nigerian Air Force for its operations.
Shehu had said, “When he campaigned to be President, the
then All Progressives Congress candidate, Muhammadu
Buhari, if you recall, promised to look at the Presidential Air
Fleet with a view to cutting down on waste.
“His directive to a government committee on this assignment
is that he liked to see a compact and reliable aircraft for the
safe airlift of the President, the Vice-President and other
government officials that go on special missions.
“This exercise is by no means complete.
“I am sure the Commander of the Presidential Air Fleet will
any time from now, call you to a ceremony at which he will
hand over some other aircraft to the Nigerian Air Force for
their operations.”
According to the Presidency, the PAF had 10 aircraft at the
inception of this administration.
These are: Boeing Business Jet (Boeing 737-800 or Air Force
One), one Gulfstream 550, one Gulfstream V (Gulfstream
500), two Falcons 7X, one Hawker Sidley 4000, two Agusta
Westland AW 139 helicopters and two AgustaWestland AW
101 helicopters.
Each of the two Falcon 7X jets were purchased in 2010 by
the Federal Government for $51.1m, while the Gulfstream
550 costs $53.3m, a former Minister of Information, the late
Prof. Dora Akunyili, had said.
With the planned sale of two and the handing over of two others
to NAF, the fleet now has six aircraft.