Refurbished presidential jet returns, equipped for long haul flights – Report

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo got what could best be described as a Valentine’s Day gift when the presidential jet touched down on February 14, 2023 in Accra.

The Falcon 900-EX Presidential Jet, had been in France for the past six-months undergoing a full refurbishment.

GhanaWeb sources confirmed that the jet aside from refurbishment also underwent some retrofiting with avionics systems upgrade in Paris.

With this, aviation and military sources said the Presidential Jet will now be capable of embarking on trips to most countries in Europe, a local newspaper with close links to government reported on February 16.

The Daily Guide newspaper said the upgrade will allow the jet flight times of six hours, as it used to do before the unfortunate incident of September 30, 2018, where it had to land immediately in Washington DC, soon after taking off because it developed a fault.

The jet is usually for the local and international use of the president and key government officials but throughout last year attracted a lot of chatter after North Tongu Member of Parliament Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa reported that it had been abandoned by the president for high-end ultra-luxury-chartered flights.

The government serially refused to disclose the cost of these supposed luxury flights citing national security implications.

Meanwhile, president Akufo-Addo is said to have used the jet for his trip to Germany and Ethiopia to attend the Munich Security Summit and African Union’s Ordinary Session of Heads of State and Government respectively.

GhanaWeb is yet to confirm if he traveled on the jet on February 16 when he left town.

SARA