Mr Eugene Arhin, Director of Communications on the Presidency, disclosed the federal government of Ghana’s plans to amass a brand new presidential jet for official state travels.
“Authorities is already within the technique of buying a much bigger jet to be used,” Mr. Arhin mentioned at a press briefing on the Jubilee Home on Monday.
Mr Arhin remarked on the query of whether or not the federal government supposed shopping for a much bigger presidential jet to accommodate the President and his entourage on official international journeys as the present presidential jet in Ghana appeared to not match the aim. The Minister of Defence is claimed to be dealing with the acquisition course of and anticipated to present particulars to the general public afterward.
“The Minister of Defence has made it clear that the federal government has determined to purchase a much bigger jet to avoid wasting us from all these troubles. I wouldn’t wish to go into particulars. I’m positive when the Minister of Defence has the chance he’ll do this,” Mr Arhin mentioned.
Motive for the brand new Presidential jet
In 2007, President John Agyekum Kufour deliberate to buy two presidential jets. A Boeing Enterprise Jet (BBJ) which may seat over 100 passengers and about 40 passengers on VVIP and a Falcon 900 EX-Straightforward plane which may solely seat 12 passengers minus crew.
Nonetheless, when President J.E.A. Mills took over workplace, the Boeing Enterprise Jet (BBJ) was cancelled permitting for the Falcon 900 EX-Straightforward plane to be acquired.
In current occasions, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo Addo depends on employed plane for his presidential travels as an alternative of the Falcon 900 EX-Straightforward plane. This, over the previous weeks and months, has made waves on social media and the airwaves with Ghanaians questioning why the President wanted to rent a personal plane given the already present presidential jet (Falcon 900 EX-Straightforward plane).
In accordance with the Defence Minister, Dominic Ntwiful, the Falcon 900 EX-Straightforward plane had a really low seating capability coupled with numerous refuelling stops for lengthy travels which didn’t make financial sense.
“The capability of the present Falcon plane is way under that of Fokker 28 which flew very, crucial individuals of greater than 25 passengers throughout the Acheampong, Akufo, Rawlings and Kufuor eras. Therefore the pressing want for an acceptable plane which may carry higher payload when it comes to passengers of 70 to 100 individuals and to hold all their baggage with out affecting the efficiency of the plane,” Mr Dominic Ntwiful mentioned.
“This plane will carry a load of 11 individuals minus the crew. When this plane is travelling to the jap a part of the USA or Asia, it is not going to load a crew of greater than eight plus the bags. So it depends upon the place it’s going,
Secondly, I’ve additionally mentioned the plane has to do refuelling stops. Additionally on this COVID-19, if you find yourself travelling to a number of locations just like the president’s current journey, the Falcon couldn’t have been taken as a result of he would have needed to do technical stops which aren’t fascinating. And when he’s travelling with greater than 20 individuals like he has been doing for enterprise journeys that introduced large sums of cash for this nation, he’ll want greater than only a Falcon, in any other case, the others must go a day forward earlier than the president to organize themselves,” Dominic Nitiwul added.
In a radio interview in Accra, Mr Dominic Ntwiful famous that for the reason that cancellation of the deal for the acquisition of the larger presidential jet by the Mills administration, the nation had spent greater than US$50 million on official journeys of the federal government.
If the intention to amass a brand new presidential jet is to reduce value, then actually, the upkeep value of the jet have to be checked out. The institution of Ghana’s first plane upkeep facility may show helpful on this regard.
