The Federal government has begun the sale of three ageing presidential jets to reduce excessive spending on fleet maintenance.
According to The Cable, this decision comes amidst recommendations from the House of Representatives committee on national security and intelligence to purchase two newer aircraft for the president and vice-president.
Currently, the presidential air fleet consists of six airplanes and four helicopters, including models like the Boeing 737 Business Jet, Gulfstream G550, Gulfstream GV, Falcon 7x, and Challenger CL605.
The jets pencilled down for sale are a Boeing 737 Boeing Business Jet (BBJ), which is the president’s designated aircraft, one Gulfstream and a Falcon 7x.
The sale, managed by JetHQ, a US-based airline marketer, aims to fund a replacement jet as ongoing discussions and evaluations continue regarding potential buyers and offers.
“We saw the report and recommendation by the lawmakers. But the truth of the matter is that we can not afford to buy two aircraft at a go, even though we are selling off others. The approval now is to find one whose cost is not too much that we can augment with what we raise from this sale,” a senior official, who is familiar with the management of the fleet, said.
The marketing firm has already submitted three bids from buyers to the Office of the National Security Adviser for consideration.
“Yes, we have received two offers for the BBJ and one for the Falcon X. But the NSA insisted that we must press for a better deal instead of rushing to have a bad deal for the government,” an PAF official involved with the process said on condition of anonymity.
