Found this very interesting report on Punch
According to the report, the Presidential Air Fleet
has more aircraft that three domestic airlines
combined! SMH! Read below…
The declining fortunes of the domestic airlines
have made President Goodluck Jonathan’s 10-
aircraft Presidential Air Fleet larger than the
fleets of three domestic airlines combined,
investigations by Punch correspondent
revealed on Tuesday.
The three carriers are Chanchangi, MedView,
and FirstNation airlines. Chanchangi has one
aircraft; Medview Airlines, three; while
FirstNation has two.
IRS Airlines, with five aircraft in its fleet, has
only one that is currently operational. The four
others have been sent overseas for routine
maintenance for a long time now.
It can be technically assumed that the
Presidential Air Fleet is bigger than the four
domestic airlines, according to industry
experts.
Aerocontractors, the second largest domestic
airline, which currently has about 12 aircraft in
its fleet, is struggling under sundry debts like
every other domestic airline.
Indications have also emerged that the 10-
aircraft PAF may emerge the second largest
domestic airline in the country after Arik Air,
which currently has about 23 aircraft.
Aviation sources revealed, however, that unless
the plan to turn Aerocontractors Airlines into a
national carrier worked out, the declining
fortunes of the debt-ridden airline might force it
to lose some of its planes to foreign aircraft
leasing companies as it happened to Air Nigeria
some years ago.
Top aviation officials admitted that the large
size of the PAF could not be justified amid the
dearth of aircraft among the domestic airlines,
which lack adequate finance to buy more planes
to meet up with the soaring passenger capacity.
Apart from Arik and Aerocontractors, each of the
remaining domestic airlines does not possess
half of the number of aircraft in the PAF,
according to findings by our correspondent.
IRS Airlines has only one operational aircraft in
its fleet; while Dana Air has five aircraft, in
addition to those owned by Chanchangi,
Medview and FirstNation, according to figures
obtained from the industry.
According to findings, the PAF include two
Falcon 7X jets, two Falcon 900 jets, a
Gulfstream 550, one Boeing 737 BBJ (Nigerian
Air Force 001 or Eagle One), and a Gulfstream
IVSP.
Others are one Gulfstream V, Cessna Citation 2
aircraft and Hawker Siddley 125-800 jet.
Each of the Falcon 7X jets was purchased in
2010 at a cost of $51.1m, while the Gulfstream
550 costs $53.3m.
The factory price of the other aircraft in the fleet
could not be obtained online. However, airline
CEOs put the average price of the Falcon 900 at
$35m; Gulfstream IVSP, $40m; Gulfstream V,
$45m; Boeing 737 BBJ, $58m; Cessna Citation,
$7m; and Hawker Siddley 125-800, $15m.
This brings a combined estimated value of the
PAF to $390.5m (N60.53bn).
Nigeria happens to be one of the few countries
in the world with a large PAF.
Most major countries in Europe and Asia
maintain two aircraft in their PAF, according to
Wikipedia.
According to the online portal, Japan maintains
only two Boeing 747-400 planes in its PAF.
The two aircraft, mostly for the prime minister,
the emperor and his wife, and other members of
the Imperial Family, is operated by the Japan Air
Self-Defence Force.
The aircraft were constructed at the Boeing
factory at the same time as the United States’
Air Force One. Both Japanese aircraft were
delivered in 1990.
Wikipedia also states that the Netherlands
government operates only two aircraft, a Fokker
70 and Gulfstream IV to transport the Dutch
Royal family and government officials such as
the prime minister and other ministers.
They are also used for international conferences
and for private trips by the Queen and the Prince
of Orange. For long haul trips, the Royal Dutch
Airline is used. Often the upper deck of a Boeing
747 is used.
The Queen of England and the Prime Minister,
David Cameron, often go on British Airways
chartered flights for long trips. Cameron was
recently criticised by the UK media for
chartering a foreign plane instead of a British.
According to Wikipedia, the Royal Squadron of
the Royal Air Force maintains a fleet of Agusta
A109 helicopters, BAE-125 mid-sized business
jet and BAE-146 regional airliner to support
short travel by the Royal Family, the Prime
Minister and senior members of the British
Government.
Countries like Ghana, Algeria and a host of
others in Europe maintain only one aircraft in
their PAF.
According to industry experts, airlines spend
between 15 and 20 per cent of the cost of an
aircraft on its operation yearly. They say that
averagely, a little less than one-fifth of the cost
of the plane is spent every year on insurance,
flight and cabin crew, maintenance, fuelling,
catering and training.
Going by the fact that at least 15 per cent of this
amount is spent annually on operating the PAF,
it means about $58.57m (N9.08bn ) is being
spent annually on running the planes in the
Nigerian PAF.
Some airline CEOs, who pleaded anonymity, had
raised concerns over the economic sense behind
the large mix of brands of aircraft in the PAF.
They said although the fleet size was large, the
cost of operation would have been cheaper if
the Presidency had maintained only two brands.
According to the Nigerian Air Force’s website,
the PAF’s current staff strength consists of 47
NAF officers, 173 airmen/airwomen and 96
technical and administrative civilians.
“The operational headquarters of the Fleet is
located at the Presidential Wing of the Nnamdi
Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, while the
administrative personnel are at the Federal
Secretariat. The fleet has a liaison office at the
Presidential Villa. Flight operations, training,
aircraft maintenance and general running of the
fleet are funded by the Presidency,” according
to the website.
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