The Agrupación Aérea Presidencial (Spanish for Presidential Air Group) is the Head of State Air Transport Unit of Argentina. A Boeing 757 is currently the Tango 01, or presidential transport. Two Fokker F28 aircraft are known as the Tango 02 and the Tango 03. Also several Sikorsky helicopters are in use.
The five BBJs were acquired on a 13 year lease in 2002 and are fitted with facilities such as conference tables, offices suites and secure satellite and communication capabilities. The two planes also have a longer range than is standard for 737 BBJs. Both the BBJs and Challengers are based at Defence Establishment Fairbairn in Canberra and are maintained by Qantas Defence Services.
Azerbaijan
President of Azerbaijan uses an Airbus 319-115X CJ "Baku" 4K-AZ01 as country's Air Force One, equipped with jamming equipment, anti-missile systems and air-to-air refueling facility. This airplane is named after country's capital city Baku.
Bangladesh
The President, Prime Minister or the head of the government travel on a specially reserved Biman Bangladesh Airlines aircraft. For long distance flights or flights with an especially large entourage, usually a McDonnell Douglas DC-10 aircraft is used, whereas for medium to short distance flights an Airbus A310 aircraft is used. In many cases, two Biman aircraft are reserved for government flights, one as a standby aircraft.
The plane, instead of being painted sky blue as normal Belavia planes, it is painted in red and green. These colors are derived from the national flag. The Russian and Belarusian name of the country, "Беларусь," appears near the door on both sides in red. On the tail-fin of the plane, the national emblem appears in full color.
Bolivia
The Bolivian Air Force operates a Sabreliner NA-265 jet, acquired in 1975 for use by the President and government officials. In July, 2010, the Bolivian government bought a Dassault Falcon 900EX. The new jet is currently grounded, due to lack of Bolivian pilots qualified to fly this model.[1]
The main Presidential aircraft used by the Brazilian Government is a modified Airbus A319, designated by the Brazilian Air Force as VC-1A and officially christened as the "Santos-Dumont", after the Brazilian aviation pioneer. The VC-1A is used for transporting the President on international medium and long-range travel. For short-range flights the President is transported in one of the two modified Embraer 190 presidential jets. When an aircraft is transporting the President of Brazil it uses the callsign Força Aérea 01 (Brazilian Air Force One), ICAO code BRS01.
The Special Transport Group (GTE) of the Brazilian Air Force is responsible for transporting the President, the Vice-President and senior ministers of the Brazilian Government. The GTE comprises 22 aircraft:
A modified VIP-configured Airbus A319 (VC-1A) "Santos-Dumont" used on all international flights carrying the President.
The fleet is headquartered at the Brasília Air Force Base (BABR).
Brunei
His Majesty The Sultan's Flight has several aircraft in VIP configuration on which to travel internationally. The fleet of aircraft is used exclusively for the Sultan of Brunei and members of the Royal Family.
The government of Burkina Faso uses a special Boeing 727. A Falcon 900 has been added, and is the type frequently in use now.
Canada
One of Canada's 5 CC-150 Polaris strategic transport configured for government VIP transport.The Challenger 601 is used to transport the Canadian Prime Minister and Governor General.
Nowadays, the transportation is under the responsibility of the Chilean Air Force ([Fuerza Aérea de Chile] Error: ((Lang)): text has italic markup (help) (FACh)), which operates the following aircraft:
1 Boeing 767-300ER.[4] This aircraft was bought to replace the Boeing 737 in transcontinental flights. As of 2009 it is the only VIP FACh aircraft which uses the standard Chilean military livery, considering its multipurpose as VIP and freight transporter.
Formerly, FACh used a Boeing 707-320C which is still in service for military purposes.
A Boeing 767-300ER (formerly B-4025) was purchased by the Chinese government for use by President Jiang Zemin in 2000. This Boeing 767 was originally ordered by Delta Air Lines. An international incident occurred in 2001 when the government claimed it had discovered 27 bugs embedded in the aircraft's interior; the plane had been refitted in San Antonio, Texas. It had since been converted back to a normal passenger airliner and transferred to Air China as B-2499.
The PLAAF 34th division was formed in 1959. Types of aircraft formerly used for VIP air transportation including Vickers Viscount, Ilyushin Il-18 and Hawker Siddeley Trident. The plane which crashed in Mongolia in 1971, carrying defecting marshal Lin Biao, was a Trident registered as CAAC B-256, piloted by Pan Jingyin (潘景寅), deputy commander of the 34th division.
Colombia
In 1933 Colombia acquired its first presidential transport airplane, a Junkers Ju 52/3m, one of the most advanced aircraft of that time. It served former Colombian president Enrique Olaya Herrera until its retirement from service in 1950. From 1953 to 1972 a Douglas C-54 Skymaster served as presidential airplane starting with the dictatorship of Gustavo Rojas Pinilla (1953–57).
In 2005, Colombia acquired a Boeing BBJ1 for presidential transport. Its code name is FAC 0001 or Fuerza Aerea Colombiana 0001 (Colombian Air Force 0001).
Côte d'Ivoire
The Ivorian government uses a Gulfstream IV (Registered TU-VAF) as a VIP aircraft.
Cuba
Transportation for the Cuban President is the responsibility of Cubana de Aviación, one of Cuba's state-owned airlines. Although the entire fleet is available for presidential use, the most commonly used aircraft are:
The Government Agency is responsible for transporting of the Croatian President, the Prime Minister and other Croatian government officials. It operates a Challenger CL-604, registered as 9A-CRO. A low-visibility grey VIP-configured Croatian Air Force Mi-8MTV-1 is used for helicopter transport (a second example crashed in 2007).
The Egyptian government operates an Airbus A340-200 (Registered SU-GGG) as a VIP transport. The first presidential Airplane in Egypt was given as a gift from Saudi Arabia to Egyptian President Sadat. Before that, the President of Egypt, Gamal Abdel Nasser, traveled using a rented airplane from the National Egyptian Air company, Egypt Air. In 1955, and during his trip to attend the first Asian-African Conference in Bandung, Indonesia, president Nasser and his accompanying crew used a rental plane from the Indian National Air company.
El Salvador
El Salvador's president Mauricio Funes uses a deluxe version of the Bell 412 helicopter for local flights. The President also has military planes, helicopters and a presidential turboprop for his use. For international flights, a Beechjet 400A, N717TG, is used from its base at Ilopango Airport at San Salvador.
French officials also use the planes of the Escadron de transport 3/60 Esterel, which operates 3 Airbus A310-304 (F-RADA, F-RADB and F-RADC) and 2 Airbus A340-211 (F-RAJA and F-RAJB).
In June 2008, the French ministry of Defense announced the order of 2 Airbus A330-200 series (previously used by Air Caraibes and Swissair) to replace the Airbus 319 CJ for the transport of the President of France. Furthermore a complete overhaul of the fleet is underway.
On the night of November 5–6, 2009, the French National Assembly approved a specific budget of 185 million euros for the purchase and modification of an Airbus A330-223 from Air Caraibes (F-ZWUG, ex F-GRTP, ex F-OPTP) to be reserved for the exclusive use of the President of the Republic. This "flying Élysée", which should be ready end of 2010, will include, notably, a meeting room, an office, a bedroom and adjacent washroom, and a missile countermeasure system. The cost of operation is estimated at an average of 20,000 euros per hour of flight, as opposed to the A319's 12,000 euros/hour.[5][6]
Air France chartered flights are also used by French officials, most notably Concorde when it was still in service with that airline.
The president of the Gambia has been using Ilyushin Il-62 since August 2005.
Gambia
Gambia uses an Il-62 for their VIP flights. This jet is in open storage at Banjul airport.
Also a Boeing 727-95 (C5-GAF) and a Canadair Challenger 601 (C5-AFT) are in use.
Germany's senior government officials use two Airbus 310-304 aircraft, previously of East Germany's Interflug, redesigned as Airbus 310 VIP by Lufthansa Technik for medium and long distance travel. The airplanes are named after Konrad Adenauer (10+21), after the first chancellor of (West) Germany, and Theodor Heuss (10+22), after the first President of the Federal Republic of Germany.
Additionally, the German air force's Special Air Mission Wing Federal Ministry of Defence (Flugbereitschaft) operates two Airbus A 319CJ (registration code 15+01/15+02) and four Challenger 601 jets (12+04 - 12+07) and three Eurocopter AS532 Cougar helicopters (82+01 - 82+03) to handle the transportation needs of representatives of the German Government, Parliament and Military.
In March 2008, the Ministry of Defense announced the intent to buy two used Airbus A340-300 passenger planes from Lufthansa as a replacement for the ageing Airbus A310 jets. They will be converted to VIP planes by Lufthansa Technik. The acquisition and conversion of these A340 planes were approved by the German parliament on 2008-03-12.[7] They will replace the two A310 beginning in 2011. The first A319 was put into service in March, the second aircraft in August 2010. Beginning in September 2011 the four Challengers will be replaced by four Bombardier Global 5000.
Ghana
The president flies in a falcon EX 900 jet
Greece
Greece's prime minister has a Gulfstream V at his disposal, which is under the operational command of the Hellenic Air Force . The airplane was bought by the government of Costas Simitis for the needs of Greece's 2003 EU presidency and the preparations of the 2004 Olympic Games. The VIP transport squadron (112 Combat Wing at the Elefsis Air Force Base) of the Hellenic Air Force also operates two Embraer business jets. For long haul flights the Prime Minister and other officials use one of the Airbus A340-300x's from the government owned Olympic Airlines. The A340 aircraft were used for the official visit of the Greek Prime minister to Australia in 2007.
Two other aircraft used over the last two decades for the same purpose raised controversy. A Dassault Falcon 900, had a range of technical problems culminating to an accident that cost the life of the deputy minister of foreign affairs Giannos Kranidiotis and five other persons due to severe in-flight pitch oscillations 20 minutes before landing at Bucharest on September 9, 1999.[8] Falcon's problems prompted in 1992 the government of Constantine Mitsotakis to replace it with a refitted Boeing 727 amid charges of extravagant costs. The next government of Andreas Papandreou duly converted the Boeing 727 into a charter plane in 1994.
The president and other high ranking government officials of Iran are still using the aged but famous Shahin an special VIP designed 707 which was ordered and purchased by Shah of Iran in 1970s and was first extremely luxurious designed in contrast with US Air force One and even higher level but after Iranian revolution it redesigned as normal VIP plane. Another VIP A321 which was purchased during 1990s are also used in medium range trips of high officials like foreign minister , parliament spokesman and secretary of supreme national security council. The other VIP planes in use by the government consist of 1 Dassault Falcon 20 , 3 Dassault Falcon 50 and 1 Lockheed JetStar all operated by Iranian air force.The government of Iran also owns EP-GDS, a Boeing 727 once owned by All Nippon Airways, Ford Motor Company, and the Shah of Iran. It is stored in Iran and no longer used. The interior retains its VIP configuration ordered by Henry Ford II in the 1960s.
Air India One (AI-001) is the call-sign of any aircraft with the Prime Minister of India or the President of India on-board. This plane is also known as VIP-1 or Tanjore.[citation needed] Since 2003, a Boeing 747-437B, equipped with jamming equipment, anti-missile systems and air-to-air refueling facility, has been used as Air India One.[9]
The Government of India uses Air India and Indian Airlines aircraft for the overseas transportation of its officials. Other Union Cabinet ministers and government officials may travel in AI-001 with the Prime Minister's consent. For domestic travel, the Prime Minister and the President use an Indian Air ForceBoeing 737-200 (also known as T-43).
In 2008, the Indian Air Force inducted 3 Boeing Business Jets which will be used by VVIP Government officials. These aircraft have a range of 3,000 to 4,000 nautical miles (7,400 km) and are fitted with encrypted satellite communication facilities and advanced navigation aids. The jets are also equipped with an advanced missile warning system, a missile deflecting shield and electronic counter measures so as to provide protection from any ground-based or air-borne threats.[10]
In 2009 India ordered 12 AgustaWestland AW101 helicopters, for the Indian President and Prime Minister. The AW-101 was selected after competing against the Sikorsky S-92 Superhawk in field trials in 2008. One particular requirement was that the helicopter have "a high tail boom" to allow the Prime Minister's car to come closer to the rear exit staircase for reduced exposure to threats.[11]
April 1, 2009 : The Indian Air Force has now got its own version of Air Force One, the American Presidential aircraft. Three exclusive Business Boeing Jets were added to the Indian Air Force's fleet on April 1, 2009. Named Rajdhoot, Rajhans and Rajkamal, the three aircraft will be used to transport the Indian President and the Prime Minister. The President or PM will have an executive office on board, a secure communication chamber and facilities to host around 50 guests.
Unlike the US President's Air Force One, which can fly halfway around the world without refuelling, the Indian craft can do up to 3,000 nautical miles (around 5,600 kilometres).
As of 28 January 2010, the Indonesian Government have announced a USD 200 million budget to acquire an aircraft for President's and government use. The Government claims the costs of operation its own planes are lower than chartering the national carrier's, Garuda, for Presidential travel. It is speculated that the Government is considering a 737-family aircraft.[12]
The Italian Air Force operates three Airbus Corporate Jets. One Airbus is equipped with 30 seats for use by the Prime Minister or President, the other aircraft have 50 seats for use of government officials. Two smaller Dassault Falcon 50 and five Dassault Falcon 900 are also used for government transport. Two Agusta SH-3D Sea Kings are operated for use by the President and Government officials and are also used by the Pope. All aircraft and helicopters are operated by the 31st Wing based in Rome Ciampino airport.
Japan maintains two Boeing 747-400 (20-1101 and 20-1102) aircraft mostly for the Prime Minister, the Emperor, Empress and other members of the Imperial Family, operated by the Japan Air Self-Defense Force. The planes are officially called seifu-senyō-ki (政府専用機, literally “Government Exclusive Aircraft”) in Japanese and Japanese Air Force One/Two in English. They have been used to transport Japanese peace-keeping troops to Iraq in the past, and are also designed to take Japanese nationals and refugees home from foreign land in serious political turmoil, chaos after natural disasters, etc.
The royal family members and government officials also uses a Airbus A318-112 Elite (VQ-BDD).
Kazakhstan
Presidential Bord One is a brand new Airbus A 330 - 300. The Government of Kazakhstan uses a 767 and 757-200 for transport.
Kenya
Kenya's president has a Fokker 70 for use as the presidential jet.
Fokker executive plane was purchased at a cost of $50 million. The 70-seater jet was reconfigured into a 28-seater, with three suites, bathroom and kitchen. It is equipped with the latest telecommunication facilities.
Prior to the purchase of the Fokker, the Kenyan President primarily used Kenya Airways for his international travel.
LX-GDL, a private operated Cessna 550 Citation II and LX-ONE a private operated Learjet 35 A are sometimes used for governmental flights.
Madagascar
Madagascar's President recently bought a Dassault Falcon 900 for use as the presidential jet.
Mexico
Mexico's President uses mainly a Boeing 757-225 ordered by President
Miguel de la Madrid built in 1987 exclusively for this purpose. The plane's official callsign when the president is inboard is TP-01, which stands for Transporte Presidencial 1 (Presidential Transport 1). When flying into airports with short runways, he uses either a Boeing 737-300 (TP-02) or a Boeing 737-322 (TP-03). For short trips he uses a Super Puma VIP edition called TPH-01 which stands for Transporte Presidencial Helicoptero 1 (Helicopter Presidential Transport 1). Before the 737's and the 757, two Boeing 727-100 were used as presidential transport. The current presidential fleet as of 2010 is as follows:
Malaysia's Prime Minister and the Royal Family travel in a Boeing Business Jet operated by the Royal Malaysian Air Force with the serial number M53-01.The callsign of the plane is Perdana One (for the Prime Minister) or DiRaja One (if the King is aboard). The BBJ was purchased in 2003 from Malaysia Airlines who operated it with the registration number 9M-BBJ.[13]
Recently, They started to fly an Airbus A319 registered as 9M-NAA with callsign M1
The Netherlands government operates a Fokker 70 (F28-0070) as a means of transport for the Dutch Royal family and government officials, such as the prime minister and other ministers. It is used to attend international conferences, but also for private trips by the Queen and the Prince of Orange. The registration is PH-KBX; PH for the Netherlands and KBX for 'Koningin BeatriX' or 'Queen Beatrix'. The previous aircraft, a Fokker F28, was registered PH-PBX, with PBX for 'Princess BeatriX'. The aircraft is maintained by KLM Cityhopper.
Furthermore, a Gulfstream IV of the Royal Netherlands Air Force (RNLAF) with registration code V-11 is available as well.
For long haul trips the Royal Dutch Airline (KLM) is used. Often the upper deck of a Boeing 747 is used. Sometimes the Fokker 70 is sent ahead and the long stretch the KLM is used and for the final trip the Fokker. His Royal Highness the Prince of Orange has a Fokker 70/100 type rating and is often seen as pilot on these trips. To keep his license current he sometimes flies with KLM Cityhopper on scheduled flights.
The Royal New Zealand Air Force maintains two Boeing 757-200s which are occasionally used to transport the Prime Minister, various government officials, as well as the head of state and members of the Royal Family when on New Zealand business. As multi-role aircraft they are more often used as transport aircraft for troops or freight. Generally the Prime Minister and government officials use commercial or chartered flights (with Air New Zealand where available) to travel both domestically and internationally.
Nigeria
The Nigerian Air Force currently maintains a Boeing Business Jet (737) as a means of transport for the President of Nigeria. The plane is marked NAF-001. The national colors of the Nigerian Flag (Green, White, Green), are painted in long horizontal stripes along the base of the white fuselage, the words "NIGERIAN AIR FORCE" are tagged on the top, and the Seal of the President of Nigeria is embossed on the tail. In addition, there are a Gulfstream V, a Gulfstream IVSP, and two Falcon 900s. One of the Falcon 900s and a BAe 800 were commandered from the national oil company and the central bank respectively, by the former military government. But the BAe 800 and a Cessna Citattion Bravo were ordered to be returned to the Air Force for military use by President Yar'Adua in Jan, 2009.
Norway
The air transport of the King and Prime Minister of Norway is mostly handled by commercial airliners (such as Scandinavian Airlines) with the VIPs travelling as normal passengers. However the Norwegian government will charter small private jets for government ministers when needed. The Royal Norwegian Air Force 717 Squadron at Rygge Air Station also maintain one Dassault Falcon 20 (5-9 passengers) for VIP-transport of the royal family, ministers and armed forces senior staff.
PIA always transports the Presidents and Prime Ministers of Pakistan on overseas visits. During the late 1990s, Prime Minister Sharif's government bought a Boeing 737-300[24] for official use. Initially it wore a government colour scheme, and eventually a partial PIA 1990s livery was adopted as the aircraft was given to PIA for commercial use while it was not on official duty.
However, when the government changed after a military coup in 1999, the Boeing B737 was transferred to PIA permanently. The President and Prime Minister then resorted to using two of PIA's Airbus A310-300 for official visits, while rare trips were done on regular commercial flights of the airline. In February 2007 the government of Qatar gifted one of their VIP fleet A310[25] to the Pakistani government, this has ended the need for PIA planes.
A new executive jet was acquired for use by former President Pervez Musharraf, raising the number of aircraft in the VVIP fleet to 14. The 10-seater Learjet is one of the three planes whose procurement was approved by former prime minister Shaukat Aziz.
Two other jets ordered may land in Pakistan after the elections. These jets are for personal use of president and prime minister.
The value of the new luxury jet was about $60 million, as reported by Dawn (newspaper) on 30 November 2007.
Peru
While a fleet of elderly DC-8s are maintained by the Peruvian Air Force, FAA repair station,"SEMAN" and Central Purchasing, the official aircraft of the President of Peru used to be a Boeing 737-500. It was purchased under dubious circumstances in 1995; then-president Alberto Fujimori's brother Santiago Fujimori was criminally charged for 'recommending' the multi-million dollar investment, which was seen as a frivolous purchase for a third-world country such as Peru.[citation needed]
The aircraft sported the Flag of Peru on the vertical fin, a white fuselage with a black underbelly with red pinstripes, and the words "República del Perú" adorning the front, with the Coat of Arms of Peru displayed on the side. Its Peruvian Air Force designator was FAP 356.
The aircraft was sold by Alan García´s government, due to the bad reputation presidential trips had among the population. The Aircraft was replaced by a new 737-500 with a new and renovated intrerior. The VIP airliner has the Peruvian coat of arms and flag in the side.
Philippines
The 250th (Presidential) Airlift Wing of the Philippine Air Force has the mandate of providing safe and efficient air transport for the President of the Philippines and the First Family. On occasion, the wing has also been tasked to provide transportation for other members of government, visiting heads of state, and other state guests.
Prior to 1962, the Air Force chartered aircraft from Pan American World Airways as the international services of Philippine Airlines were suspended. For short-haul flights, Boeing 737s were initially used and have since been replaced by the Airbus A320. For medium- to long-haul flights, Boeing 747-400s were initially used; their roles are now being fulfilled by the Airbus A340-300. The aircraft with the callsign PR 001 is a special plane operated by Philippine Airlines to transport the President of the Philippines.
A Bell 412 presidential helicopter crashed on April 7, 2009 in Ifugao Province North of Manila. On board were eight people, including two cabinet undersecretaries and several military men. The flight was enroute to Ifugao from Baguio City with a presidential advance party. The last known communication with the aircraft came from Press Undersecretary Jose Capadocia, saying that it was too cloudy for the aircraft to land at its designated airport.[17]
The Arroyo administration had planned to buy another aircraft for about 1.2 Billion pesos before her term ended in June 2010[18] but cancelled the planned order amid criticism of her travel expenses and questions about her personal wealth.[19]
At least one of the aircraft was refitted as a VIP transport in 2001 by a British company for a price of GBP 10 million. The aircraft has the word "Russia" displayed in large cyrillic letters across the upper side. As pictures leaked to the Internet in 2007 indicate, the luxurious refit included gold-plated bathroom fittings, marble floors, silk-lined walls and other expensive amenities.[20] The aircraft is reported to have an escape capsule, much like the one featured in the film "Air Force One".[21]
Mil Mi-8 VIP helicopters are also used for domestic air transport.
Sri Lanka has no presidential aircraft, however domestic travel for senior government officials and VIPs are provided by the No. 4 (VIP) Helicopter Squadron of the Sri Lanka Air Force using 7 Bell 412EP.
For international travel, either scheduled commercial flights of Sri Lankan Airlines or Mihin Lanka is used. Occasionally, the government also charters aircraft from these two companies for international travel.
Slovakia
The Slovak Government Flying Service operates two Tupolev Tu-154s, two Yakovlev Yak-40s and number of helicopters for use by the President of Slovakia, Prime Minister of Slovakia and government officials. The Prime minister has also on several occasions used commercial flights to show he is saving public funds. At the same time aircraft of the Slovak Government Flying Service have flown without passengers for training of pilots.
As of April 2010, the president of the Republic of Korea uses 2 CASA CN-235s, a Boeing 737-300 aircraft and a Boeing 747-400, leased from Korean Air for next 5 years. The Government of the Republic of Korea is considering of purchasing a Airbus 380, Airbus 340-600, Boeing 777-300, or Boeing 747-8 for the next presidential air transport. The livery consists of a largely white body with a colored cheatline. The first portion of the line is red while the rest of the line is blue. A similar blue and red design is on the tail. The country's name is written in both Korean and English on the side and the flag is on the tail and behind the door. The plane's registration is 85101. The Sikorsky S-92 is the presidential helicopter.
The Spanish Air Force (Spanish: Ejército del Aire) operates 2 customized Airbus A310, 5 Falcon 900, and several helicopters for transportation of the King, the President, high ranking government officials and the Royal Family. These transportation services are provided by the 45th Group of the Air Force, based in Torrejón Air Base, 24 kilometers (15 miles) away from Madrid.
Sweden
The Swedish Air Force Transport Squadron Bromma (Stockholm), based on Stockholm-Bromma Airport in the City of Stockholm, operates the State Flight (Swedish: Statsflyget). It forms part of the Transport and Special Flying Unit (TSFE, Swedish: Transport och Specialflygenheten), which in its turn is a part of the Skaraborg Wing (F 7).
Currently it operates two Gulfstream IV aircraft in the VIP transport role:
Air Force type TP 102A (tail no. 021, call sign SVF 21)
Air Force type TP 102C (tail no. 024, call sign SVF 24)
The 6th Air Transport Squadron (Lufttransportstaffel 6) also operates two Eurocopter EC635 as VIP transport helicopters (T-351 and T-352) and has a number of Super Puma helicopters at its disposal, one of which is configured constantly as a VIP transport for domestic use and another one can be configured as a VIP transport.
Air transportation for the President or other high-ranking officials of the Republic of China is operated by the Republic of China Air Force using a customized Boeing 737-800, registration #3701 delivered from Boeing in 2001. This aircraft operates out of Taipei's Songshan Airport and is not usually permitted to fly to countries without diplomatic relations with the ROC. Instead, a Boeing 747 operated by Taiwan's national airline, China Airlines, is used for long-haul trips by the President and his staff. In addition, another three Fokker 50 turboprop perform the executive jet role for the Vice President of the Republic, premier, and other senior officials.
The Royal Thai Air Force's 402 Royal Guard Squadron, a helicopter unit, uses Bell 412STs for Royal flights. The helicopters are expected to be replaced, as they are approaching the lifetime limit for VIP duty.[citation needed]
The replacement for these helicopters are Sikorsky S-92 Superhawk, which are expected to be delivered in 2010.
The Prime Minister of the Republic of Turkey has two specially configured Aircraft for his use. The first and main mode of air transport (namely, for use in Europe, Middle East and Africa) is a specially configured Airbus A319-115X CJ registered as TC-ANA. The call sign for this aircraft is TCANA (English: Turkish Republic-MOTHER).[22]
The other aircraft at the Turkish Prime Minister's disposal is a specially configured and highly customized Gulfstream G550.[23] This is mainly used for long range missions.
In addition to the abovementioned aircraft the Turkish Prime Minister also has at his or her disposal several VIP Boeing and Airbus aircraft which are maintained by Turkish Airlines, the national carrier of the Turkish Republic.
The President of the Republic of Turkey uses a Gulfstream AerospaceG-IV VIP Jet registered TC-ATA, but again has several special VIP aircraft of Turkish Airlines at his or her disposal. The call sign for this aircraft is TCATA (English: Turkish Republic-ANCESTOR).[24] The call sign ATA has a resemblance with the word 'father' in Turkish. This word not only implies to ancestors in retrospect, but also pinpoints the leading figure in a family or in a country (cf. Atatürk-the Father of Turks or the Leading Turk). On that ground, TC-ATA (Alpha-Tango-Alpha) signifies the Turkish State Leader, and yet a memoir filled with affection, to the position which was originally chaired by Atatürk himself.
All government VIP aircraft are manned and maintained by Turkish Air Force personnel.
The callsign of any plane is regular if it is not currently carrying the President or Vice-President. The callsign of any military aircraft that currently carries the President is called that military branch name followed by "One", such as Army One, Air Force One, Navy One, Coast Guard One or Marine One (which is typically associated with a helicopter). The callsign of any military aircraft that currently carries the Vice President is called that military branch name followed by "Two", such as Air Force Two or Marine Two (which is typically associated with a helicopter). In the one instance that the President traveled on a private aircraft its callsign was "Executive One".
President George W. Bush walks the red carpet with Pope Benedict XVI. Behind is "Shepherd One" the plane that transported the Pope.
Typically, the Pope flies on a chartered Alitalia fixed wing aircraft when travelling to or from more distant destinations.[specify] The tradition is for the Pope to fly to the country he is visiting on a chartered Alitalia jet and to return on a jet belonging to a flag carrier from the visited nation. But when touring multiple nations this could turn odd. For example, when Pope John Paul II visited South America in May 1988, he came to Paraguay from Peru in an AeroPerú DC-8, but left Asunción International Airport back to Europe in a transcontinental Alitalia Boeing 747, which was brought-in just hours before his farewell ceremony. Líneas Aéreas Paraguayas' longest-range aircraft at the time were Boeing 707-320Bs, which had to stop in Dakar to refuel. However, he politely traveled within the country in a LAP jet, which incidentally carried the distinguished visitor's coat of arms in the forward fuselage as courtesy. Inspired by both a biblical verse [25] and the name of the aircraft used by the President of the United States, the Americans nicknamed the Pope's aircraft "Shepherd One" after Pope Benedict XVI's visit to New York and Washington in 2008.[26] The call sign of a papal flight within Italy is "volo papale" ("papal flight" in Italian) followed by the number of flights the pope has made. Pope John Paul II made 104 papal flights.[27] Pope Benedict XVI returned to Rome from Brazil on Alitalia. The pope also uses a helicopter of the Italian Navy (Marina Militare) for small distances like to Castel Gandolfo vice versa.
Perhaps one of the most controversial air transports for a head of state was that of Zaire leader Mobutu Sese Seko, who leased a supersonic Concorde in the late 1980s and early 1990s. The jet, obtained from Air France, was based at Gbadolite and was not only used for diplomatic missions but also for European shopping trips for the ruler's wealthy family. There was also a Boeing 707 (registration number 9T-MSS) that was used for a while and has been stored in Lisbon since 1996, as well as a Boeing 727 (9Q-RDZ).[citation needed]
Zambia
First Zambian president, Kenneth Kaunda used to use a McDonnel Douglas DC-8-71 of the now liquidated Zambia Airways among other national carriers. His departure from office saw the new president, Fredrick Chiluba acquire a more modern look for government and thus the VIP Challenger 604 "ZS-OSG (cn5486)"
Von Hardesty. Air Force One: The Aircraft that Shaped the Modern Presidency. Creative Publishing international; illustrated edition edition (September 1, 2005) . ISBN 978-1589232334.
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